Courage to Feel
by RoseNightenDove
Summary: An empath comes to find Hiei to deliver a message. She runs into Kurama on the way and starts on a rode to discover feeling others feelings isn't a good replacement for ones owns. Will she be able to figure out that feeling is okay? Kurama x OC
1. Enter the Empath

Note from the Author: Welcome to Courage to Feel. If you are a returning guest from my Butterfly Chronicles I welcome you and thank you for your patronage again. If you aren't then I welcome you all the same. If you are a Kurama fan you might find interest in my other stories about him that are under the Butterfly Chronicles. :) I would like to entertain you with a tale of a different sort this time and welcome you to relax back, grab some popcorn and ready about a young woman who can feel the feelings of others but fears her own feelings.

Without further ado, -ROSEY

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><p>Chapter 1-Enter the Empath<p>

"_Why are you putting yourself through this?"_

_She sat in the corner, watching as the operation was about to begin. She had her knees pulled up to her chest as she watched. She had told him he could die. He hadn't cared. The doctor that was doing it had said that it would be worse pain than he had ever felt. He hadn't cared either. He had a mission and wasn't going to let pain or anything else keep him from doing what he felt he needed to. _

_And then it began. She stood through it. The screaming, the pain, everything. Her eyes blurred as the tears that her friend was fighting came to her eyes. Sometimes being an empath could tear ones soul apart when something like this was going on. He hadn't asked her to stay. He hadn't ordered her as was his right being the leader's 'son' and all. He would tell her so when he got out of surgery. Finally it was done. _

The woman blinked out of her memories as the keys to the cell clicked in the lock and opened the door. She stepped out of the cell and looked around. She looked at the ogre that had come to free her. "What is going on?" She asked, smiling gently at him. He was working hard at not being tempted by her smile. She frowned and sighed. This job took some dedication to be able to put up blocks against empaths.

They led her through the halls to a small room where the great and powerful Lord Koenma sat. He turned to look at the empath that entered. Her dark brown hair curled around her face and down her back. The alarming thing was the charming blue eyes that looked at him with interest.

"You have a deal for me." She said, sitting at the chair that was there. She looked around the cold walls that made up the interrogation hall. "But in return you want answers to why I broke in."

"If you know why I'm here why don't you go ahead and give me the answers. I do not have all day." Koenma said.

Impatience swelled over the girl as she looked at the corner and shook her head. "Don't you know how to treat a girl with respect and courtesy?" She asked, tilting her head as she looked back up at him.

"You are a demon that stole away in here and tried to access information on demons that are under investigation for stealing several things from the vault. Why and what were you looking for?" Koenma asked. She found him cute for a Lord. He was small and no taller than two feet and a half. He was a toddler really. Was she supposed to find him scary? If so, it would work better to have a fear demon in here. But then she wouldn't be able to talk straight anyway.

"He stole something form the vault of yours? Interesting." She replied and looked away again. That sounded like something that the man she was looking for would do.

"What were you looking for?" Koenma asked again. She could feel frustration from him. That might be a planted feeling though. She sighed and pushed up the shield that would keep her from having any of these feelings interfere with her thinking.

"I was looking for some information. That's all. I heard that you keep files on all us demons that go through your attention. I figured that he's probably gotten your attention by now and that'd you have a location for him." She replied. She looked down at her fingers as if finding something absolutely interesting in them.

"Who is this he Leila?" Koenma demanded.

She cringed at her name. She had worked so hard to keep that from him. She was trying to find a way to get out of it before an ogre burst in.

"Yusuke has found him! They found Goki and are fighting." He reported and she went ridged. If he had found one of them, he would most likely find the other two, which meant He would be found soon.

"Is that who you were looking for?" Koenma asked when he noticed the stiffening.

"Why would I be interested in a soul eater? They have a nasty habit of turning on you at the last minute because they are hungry." She demanded and stood, leaning forward with her palms flat against the table. "You should know better than to piss off an empath Koenma. We can do all sorts of things to your emotions. Let me out of here and I'll spare you that complexity."

"Tell me who you were looking for and I'll be glad to do that." Koenma told her.

She looked at him one last time and then sighed. It would come out one time or another. "I am looking for Hiei Jaganshi. I have news for him. That was what I was looking for. Now may I go?" She asked, standing straight.

Koenma looked at her and frowned. Why would this beautiful demon be looking for that little brat? While she was easily five feet ten inches, nearly a full foot taller than Hiei, and healthy looking, she had a dark gaze that could have killed anything if looks could kill. "You may go to Human world only if you plan to help us find Hiei." He told her.

She wanted to kill him. She had only been here to find the demon and deliver a mission. If she helped this stupid Spirit Lord, she'd be lowering herself to an attack by anyone from demon world who found out. She'd be branded a traitor by people she had never known. Her own group would disown her. Then again, they probably already had after her being locked away here for almost a week now. She sighed and agreed.

She soon found herself in human world at the apartment of Yusuke Urameshi. She looked at the clothes she was wearing. A blue school uniform covered her to the knees. She looked up to the second story to where the Spirit Detective had been taken after his run in with Gouki. She looked around before starting up the stairs. A woman walked passed her. To the trained eye, she was drunk. She opened the door to the room that Leila had been told to go to.

"Oh excuse me, is this the Urameshi residence?" She asked, running to catch up to the woman.

"Oh are you one of Yusuke's friends from school? Yes, come in." the woman said with a slight slur and led the girl in. "Botan is here too it looks. His room is off to the right."

"Thank you ma'am." She told her before going to the door and slipping in. She looked around. Humans were so weird. Living right on top of each other like this was strange to her. In demon world there was enough room for everyone to live without seeing each other for at least a few hours. Her gaze turned on the two women that were sitting next to the bed where an unconscious form slept.

"Oh excuse me, is one of you Botan?" She asked, bringing their attention to her. One was rather plain looking. With brown hair and eyes, Leila wondered who she was. It was odd to see such a plain girl. She would not blame the famed Spirit Detective to choose a girl like that. She could easily feel the love that was swelling in the girl. That and the worry.

Botan was the one with the blue hair and cotton candy colored eyes. "Righto! You must be Leila. Keiko this is Leila a school friend of mine. I asked her here because we have a project we have to do." Botan lied, seemingly effortless to this human. That was okay with Leila. She didn't really mind Humans, but their constant twisted emotions were always a bugger for her kind.

"Hello Keiko." She replied and went to look down at the bed. "This is Yusuke? He sure is hansom." She was teasing. He was young. Fifteen, maybe sixteen. His hair was ruffled from sleep. However his skin looked like it could have gone through a blender. She could feel the jealousy rise up in Keiko and she turned to look down at her.

"You are a very lucky young woman to have such a cute boy." She then stepped away from the bed and sat next to Botan away from the young woman.

When Yusuke woke and Keiko went out to get food for him, he looked at the girl and then Botan. "Who's the new girl? Did Koenma send her?" he asked.

Botan turned her gaze to Leila and paused. She looked sick. In fact, Leila was feeling horrible. She felt as if he had taken her and thrown her in a blender as well. "Are you okay Leila?"

"No." she whispered. "I need to go outside for a moment. I'm sorry." She rose from her seat and rushed outside, gasping in air as the pain faded. Strong emotions and sometimes feelings could jump over her walls and get at her whether she wanted them too or not. Botan joined her soon enough.

"Koenma said you were an empath. I just didn't believe him. Most empaths work for him. I've never heard of one going rogue and living in Demon world." She said softly. "Much less one surviving to have a child there."

"Well my mother did, and I'm all the better for it I think." Leila said softly looking over at her, defenses up. She was used to this. Botan was correct. Most empaths worked for Spirit World or found good jobs in Human World. They were human except for the high spirit awareness they had. Which was what made them so appealing to demons.

"Well we won't really need your help to find Hiei until—"Botan started.

"I'm here to find him. And if we find him before Yusuke is ready then that is your fault and you should be in there getting him ready." Leila said sharply, looking away from the woman who had simply been trying to be nice. She felt horrible about it the second later. "I'm sorry. There's an old man upstairs that just got hit in the groin by his dog. He's none too pleased." It didn't excuse her though. She had better control than that. It had only been that Hiei's name had jumpstarted a weird sensation in her; one where she lost all control of her barrier.

"That's fine." Botan replied before heading in. The girl walked away from the house going to the small apartment she had been given while her stay on Human World was still active. On the way there she bumped into a human with red hair and green eyes. Unusual for a human to have such vibrant—and then it hit her. This wasn't a human at all. He was apologizing but she didn't hear a word.

Pictures of a woman, hurt, in a hospital was running from this demon in human form. He was hurting because of it. He wanted to save her but couldn't. And then she saw Hiei from this man's perspective. She gasped softly and broke eye contact with the stranger. "I'm sorry it's really my fault. I should have been paying attention to where I was going." She replied and rushed off, sending one last glance at him. He'd seen Hiei and yet was still alive? That must have been the second man that had helped him sneak into the vault, Kurama.


	2. Enter the Demon

Chapter 2—Enter the Demon

She'd been stuck in human world for two days and she was already getting sick of it. It was no wonder that her mother had chosen to move to Demon World. No one here shielded their thoughts; their emotions. She constantly had to be on the lookout for anyone with over flaring emotions. At least demons were consistent. You could tell when one was going to get angry and she could shield against it. Here, it was like humans had bipolarity. One second they are mad at the person and then the next they are kissing and hugging and doing other… things.

She was stuck in her apartment, working on keeping her shields high around her. It was hard. When she got tired, she lost control of her shields. And she was getting tired. She had trained herself to stay up for forty-eight hours before because she had been the lookout for a band of demons who took two day shifts. But that had been without the constant bombardment of emotions. She had been trusted enough to do the watch on her own so she had spent the two days allowing her shields to slide a little. While she had had a short name her first night there, her dreams had been plagued with other people's dreams mixed with her own. After six hours of rest, she had sat up and given up. There were far too many dreaming humans around her.

A knock on the door distracted her from her meditation and she grudgingly rose from the place in the kitchen where she had been sitting. Meditation was the only thing she could do to rest without letting her shields drop. She'd been on a roll too. She'd finally gotten the noises to stop. Now she'd have to start over once this disruption was taken care of. When she opened the door Botan bounded in with Yusuke following at a slower, cooler looking stride. She hadn't tried to spice the apartment up, and Botan pointed that out.

"I don't plan on staying here that long Botan." She said, irritated that her meditation had been interrupted along with the feelings she was getting from the neighbor below. The woman had just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and wanted to kick something but didn't want to break anything. "Are you trying to find Hiei now?"

"No, we are looking for a demon named Kurama. He got in touch with Yusuke and wants him to meet him at a hospital." Botan reported, her eyes lingering on the white walls, the lack of personality in the room.

The memories of running into the red head came back to her and she frowned. "He is worried about a human. She is stuck in a hospital and most likely is going to die. At least that is what I felt from him two nights ago." She told them, causing Botan to look at her in surprise.

"You ran into Kurama and you didn't call us to tell us?" She asked, confusion pushing at Leila's shields, demanding entrance but not getting any.

"I'm here for one reason only. It's not to deal with this Kurama fellow. That is your job as Spirit Detective and grim reaper. I can go with you and tell you what he's feeling when you meet up, but I won't help you capture a fellow demon. I am here to deliver a message to Hiei and then I will be returning to demon world to go to my mother's side where I belong." Leila replied, anger at Botan's presumption that she would turn her back on all the teachings her mother had taught her about respecting and helping demons the moment she returned to human world.

Yusuke looked at her and frowned. "But you are human. Botan told me all about empaths. They are just really perceptive psychics. How could you turn your back on humans if you have never even met one? You act as if we are horrible. Give us a chance at least before you pass judgment on us." He urged. He was angry that she had just decided this after two days of being there. He wanted to make her like her own race.

She looked at him for a moment with a blank face. "Here is what I have found out since I've gotten here. Humans think they can do whatever they want whenever they want no matter the consequences. Just last night some man decided he could beat his wife to death only to have his wife shoot him with a shotgun she had bought that day. Two hours ago, a woman thought she'd found a man who actually understood her, only to find out that he had robbed her. What good are humans if this is all they act like? At least demons are honest when they meet another. They don't double talk. They make it pretty plain what they want and you don't need to think too much into what they say." She told him before going back into the kitchen and pulling out a glass of water from the refrigerator.

"That's only the bad side. If that's all you look for then you are keeping yourself from finding the real joys of the world." Yusuke insisted, "Like pizza, and arcade games and friends. Do demons ever make friends?" His voice was scornful as if he thought demons were no more than mindless monsters to be torn down.

She drank her water and then looked at him. "Demons make friends. Demons make lovers. Demons make wives and husbands and children. Demons make towns and live off the land and each other. You have no right to talk about demons as if you know everything about them when you have never truly been to demon world." She snapped.

"And you have no right to talk about humans as if you know everything about them when you've only been here for two days." He retorted. She blinked and looked at him. For being a young kid and a stupid human, he did know how to make an argument void. "Now, I am supposed to meet this Kurama person in an hour. After that I'll show you what the human world is like. Are you coming or not?"

She stared at him and put the glass in the sink and cleaned it, taking this time to think about what he had said. He was right. After only two days here how was she supposed to really know what this world was like? She had only been shielding herself from the obvious—pain, hatred. But at the same time she had shielded herself from all the other emotions—the happiness, joy, sadness, everything. "Fine. But it better be worth it." She replied and went into the other room to change. While she had not gone outside, she had had her clothes that were in Demon World teleported to her by a demon she knew. She pulled on a pair of pants that were a khaki color and a loose green shirt over it. It hid her figure in a sort of protective way.

She then followed him out of the apartment and through the streets. He seemed to be in a bad mood. "It still hurts." She said, pointing to his body. "You are trying to hide it for Botan and that young girl's sake, but you feel like you've been pounded by a thousand bricks." He looked over at her and then grinned.

"Yeah, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell them. Botan wouldn't let me leave the house if she found out." He told her and she tilted her head.

"What about the Keiko girl? It's obvious, whether you like it or not, that she means a lot to you. And you mean a lot to her as well. Why do you keep it from her?" Leila asked. This was curious. Was he being chivalrous and keeping the people he cared about from seeing his pain? That wasn't something she expected in this day and age from a human.

"Keiko? She's just a friend and I don't think she needs to worry about me." He told her, putting up a protective wall of indifference up that amused her. She smiled and looked away. Her eyes scanned the areas until they reached the hospital.

Strange. Her body was assaulted by so much pain and joy and hatred. But there was one far over that that drew her attention. Demon emotions mixed with humans. What was going on? She looked around for the source and then saw the red haired man again.

"You brought someone else with you. I said come alone." Kurama said before he realized who it was. Confusion mixed with the grief that was coming off him. Images of an ailing woman filled her mind again. Was that why he had stolen something? It would explain a lot. But not why this demon was worried about a human.


	3. Enter the Forlorn Hope and Selfless Acts

Chapter 3 – the Forlorn Hope and a selfless act.

Before Leila could ask her question about why he cared so much about a human, Yusuke stepped forward. "You asked me to come alone, but I don't rust you to not lie to me. She's here to tell me if you do or not. Think of her like a human lie detector." He said in his normal smart ass way.

She looked at him as he described her that way. She didn't like being called a human anything. She was an empath; pure and simple. Kurama seemed to see her look of disapproval. It didn't matter what other saw of her emotions. That didn't matter at all. She was there to read others.

"As the spirit detective said. I am here to make sure that you are speaking the truth. I won't matter how well you do, I'll be able to tell if you lie." She said with a shrug as if it wasn't that big of a deal. The truth was she was only going to be able to read his emotions and see if misgiving was any part of them. She looked up at the hospital and her stomach cringed. She didn't want to go in there, but it seemed that they were going to. The two boy started to move forward and entered the building.

They spoke, well, Kurama spoke. He told the story of growing attached to the woman that had birthed him. How she had fallen sick. How all he wanted to do was to save her. All of this ran through her mind as she let her defenses down a bit to be able to tell if he was lying about anything. It all seemed true. And then the rest of the emotions around her slammed into her. Everything from pain, to loss, to hatred, to joy—everything that one would find at a hospital was being thrown at her by several thousand people.

Her vision doubled and she fell forward, landing on the floor with a thump. She curled up, trying to stop the pain from entering her. The Joy countered it, but there was more pain than love. It tore at her as she curled up and then suddenly everything went black. They had been on the way up to the roof by this time and she lay against them. She felt the sides pushing into her body. And then gentle hands touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes and cried out as the pain assaulted her again. She threw up all the defenses she could. She felt herself being picked up and taken to the roof as she forced the emotions back.

Then she was being laid out. The cool air strengthened her resolve to put the shield up. Finally all she felt was her own confusion and anger at being trapped here on this hell hole. She opened her eyes then and locked eyes with green ones. So this demon had carried her up here? She hadn't expected that. Yes there were some demons that could feel compassion for others, but very view. She would have expected the Spirit Detective to do be the one to carry her out of the building.

"Thank you." She said grudgingly and sat up, her hand going up to press against her head. Her head pounded as she forced the shields higher.

"Is that a sign that I lied?" he asked with a small smile. He knew he hadn't. There was no way this woman would have been able to say he had if she really was a lie detector on feet.

"No." she said as he helped her to her feet. She saw Yusuke watch her with misgivings. He didn't think she could handle finding Hiei. If she was going to feint like this all the time, he didn't want her help. "It's just all the emotions in there. I couldn't control them. I haven't been feeling well either."

Kurama watched her and then turned to Yusuke to continue his business. "Allow me to use the Forlorn Hope to save my human mother," he said, pulling out the mirror like object. "And then you may take it back to Koenma. You will not have any problem doing that once she is well and truly alive."

"Wait." She said as Yusuke opened his mouth to speak. "First, tell me where Hiei is. Before you two bargain about the Forlorn Hope." She knew the legends about the Forlorn Hope. He would no longer be able to tell them where her old friend was once he used it. But then, that was his choice. She could hardly care if he wanted to kill himself for a human. She didn't quite understand it herself.

Kurama looked at her. "And why would a human lie detector want to know where Hiei is? Let alone know who Hiei is?" he asked, his head tilting to the side as she dusted off her uniform. She looked nothing like a demon. And Hiei hated humans. Why would she know and want to find him? That was sure a question he'd have to ask himself once he had used the mirror.

"Why would a demon want to save a human food ticket?" She asked, her eyes challenging him. This shocked and angered him. First because he had thought she was human. She had a high amount of spirit energy but no demonic energy to speak of. And yet she spoke much as a demon would have. And her calling his human mother a food ticket angered him.

"You will regret calling her that." He told her as green eyes sparkled.

"And you'll regret it if you don't tell me where Hiei is." She said, shifting her position so that she was ready to fight. While she was normally only a guard dog, she knew how to fight and if this demon turned stupid human wanted to fight, she would.

"Okay children." Yusuke said with a laugh, trying to diffuse a nasty situation turning uglier.

Kurama looked at her and laughed. "You'll never understand why she's important to me. You have no human emotions despite you being one. She protected and gave me what I needed to survive and so much more. You want to know where Hiei is. He'll find Yusuke. He's proving to be a challenge. Stick around him long enough and Hiei will find you." Kurama said with a smile as he fought to control his feelings again. Shaking his head he looked up as the moon began to appear over them.

He put the Forlorn Hope ceremonially on the ground and it became alive. The young woman stepped back, letting her shields down just a little. She was curious as to what he was feeling. A picture of that woman appeared in his mind as he asked for her survival. And then Yusuke did the unthinkable. He offered his own life in exchange for Kurama's. He said something about how would she feel if she got better only to find out that her son was dead.

She saw an image of Yusuke's mother crying over a funeral for Yusuke. She took another step back, confusion filling her as this human did the unthinkable. Not even a Demon would do that for another. Each demon was given the same choices as everyone else. If they wanted to give up their lives, it was their choice. It didn't make sense. This human was willing to sacrifice his life _again_ in order to give this demon a chance with a human he would someday grow tired of and abandon. She didn't understand at all.

As the light started blind her she rushed forward, a strange urge to keep both of them from losing their lives taking over. Was this what it meant to be human? She didn't like it if it was. She got there too late and was blown back as the Forlorn Hope sent a shock way through the building and the surrounding area. She rolled and got to her feet quickly. She ran forward, dropping her shields to see if either of them was dead. Kurama woke up and stared up at her as she jerked back. She had been about to check his pulse. 

"I'm still alive?" he asked and sat up as she pulled away from him. To her, he was unnatural. He was so different from the demons she knew. None of them would sacrifice themselves to save her. Not even Hiei, which she was glad of. At least that was a constant and demanded that she needed to take care of herself. She wasn't sure she'd be able to keep sane if she had people like Yusuke 'saving' her all the time.

"This idiot sacrificed himself in order to give you time with your human foo—mother." She said, frowning at him as she sat there, she could feel his shock and she quickly put up her shields. "Why do you feel like you owe her? Why is a human so important to a demon such as yourself?"

He watched her and it suddenly slicked for him. While she was a human, it was obviously she was raised by demons. Very few demons took humans as anything but slaves, and thus she would have had to have been a run away to be here with the Spirit Detective. There was only one other kind of human that a demon would want to fall into league with and give them free range to do as they pleased. She was an empath and he took her hand which she tried to yank away. Touch always made the emotions clearer.

"Please open yourself up and you'll understand." He told her, and offered her a small smile. "I may be a demon but this time as a human has taught me a few things."

She watched him uncomfortably and then let her shield inch down until she saw what he had spoken about earlier. This woman had cared, protected, and treated him with kindness. She reminded her of her mother to an extent. While her mother would never show that she cared about her human daughter she protected her and treated her with respect when she showed the abilities to read others.

But for him it was more than that. She had taught him to be human. He had not wanted to worry her soon and soon began to act human. She pulled her hand away as they got to the pain of watching her wilt away because of him.

"I don't understand. It doesn't make sense." She replied and saw that his mind was now on his mother's wellbeing. What if by what Yusuke had done, it had not happened? Kurama jumped up and ran off back down the stairs. Now that was something a demon would do. He hadn't even stayed to make sure Yusuke was Okay. She rose from where she crouched to go over to him. She wasn't as gentle to him as she had been with Kurama. She nudged him with her toe which produced a groan.

"At least I haven't lost my only way to find Hiei." She said as he pushed himself up.

"For an empath, you don't seem to care about others feelings." He grumbled.

She laughed scornfully at him and then walked away, leaving him to deal with the Forlorn Hope. That was none of her concern. She just needed to find Hiei after all. She walked quickly through the hospital, stopping to check in on Kurama and his mother. When he saw that she was sitting up and doing okay, she couldn't help smiling before walking on.

Just as she walked past, Kurama looked back at her and watched her leave. He wondered if he'd ever get to see that empath again. He had the urge to teach her about what it meant to be a human. Obviously she had been taught to fear it.


	4. Teaching a Human about Humans

Chapter 4 – Teaching a Human about Humans

As Leila had exited the hospital, she felt the gaze of someone on her. She turned to look at the building and when she saw that no one was there, she turned to look around. She sent a small tendril of her magic out in each direction and the second she did that she felt the gaze go away. Someone was watching her. She headed home then only to have Yusuke catch up with her soon after. He was weak though from his fight from Gouki who he was still recovering from.

"You believe he really will go to Lord Koenma for judgment?" She asked, surprised that he hadn't dragged Kurama with him straight for judgment. Her eyes ran over the human as he started play with the mirror that he had worked to get back.

"Yes. He was able to keep his mother alive. Botan is going to go and get him later." Yusuke said as he rolled his shoulders as if trying to loosen up. She didn't understand until a young man in a blue uniform with orange hair appeared in front of them. She tilted her head as he challenged Yusuke saying that he was going to regret coming onto their 'turf'.

"Now this human I understand." She said with a large smile.

She continued on walking towards them, before Yusuke dashed forward and attacked. She saw a stray fist coming towards her at the last moment. It slammed itself into her cheek and sent her flying. She rolled to a stop against the nearby wall. She groaned as she pushed herself up, looking up. The two guys had stopped fighting to stare at her.

She rubbed her cheek and pushed herself to stand. It would be bruised that was for sure. Leila walked passed them keeping them on edge until she turned around the corner. She had better ways of getting back than hitting the man that had hit her. She leaned against the wall on the other side and let her shields drop. Reaching around the wall with a tendril of her magic, she enwrapped Yusuke's body with it. Then she funneled all the pain of the hospital that she had felt into him.

When she heard him screaming, she released him and started to walk on working to get her shields back up.

It was about three days later that Kurama came to find her in her apartment. She had just ordered in pizza—something Yusuke had introduced her to the night before and she was hooked. She ran to the door as it rang and she pulled it open, readying to pass over the money she held in her hand. When she saw the red hair and the green eyes she halted opening the door, using her body to keep him from entering.

"Aren't you supposed to be up with Lord Koenma by now?" she asked, resting against the door jam.

Kurama looked at her up and down. She had taken to wearing a pair of jeans (supplied to her by Keiko the night before on a shopping trip) and a white shirt that hung down to mid thigh (supplied to her by Botan her first day there). Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail that curled down to the beginning of her shoulders as her blue eyes looked him over as well. He seemed to be wearing the same thing that he'd worn the day that they had been on the roof.

"I already went and since I turned over the Forlorn Hope after I saved my mother, Lord Koenma is allowing my punishment to be forced to stay here for a certain many years. Now what I find more interesting is to find out that you are one of the dark empaths—empaths that chose to work with demons freely and see things much like they do." Kurama said as he waited patiently at the door.

He was very willing to stay here for some time until she allowed him in, and he made sure to push that emotion at her. Once one knew who was an empath it was easy to fool them with your emotions. Throw all your focus into one and they'd be able to read that one far better than any others. She stared at the young man again. What was he going to do that hadn't already been done to her? Slowly she stepped back and pulled the door open with her so that he could enter. Just a moment later the pizza man came up to the door and she offered the money and took the pizza.

"Hope you don't mind three meats." She said as she turned to find him. She found him exploring her humble home for the time being. He was currently looking at the bare living room.

"Not at all, if you are willing to share." Kurama said, turning his attention on her again.

Leila put the pizza box down and started to take out two plates. She then looked at him and then took out a piece and handed his plate to him. "You just had lunch before you came." She explained before taking two pieces and going to sit on the ground near the sink.

"Don't you have a table in here?" Kurama asked as he sat across from her.

"I don't own this. It is a rental that Koenma keeps for agents of his. He furnishes the plates and the money to pay for stuff, but not much else. Anything else I owe is either bought with that money or stuff I owned before I was caught." She explained with a shrug. She didn't do much but sleep here anyway. "Now, tell me why you are here."

"Yusuke said that you don't think kindly about humans." Kurama said pointing out the obvious as he took a bite of his own pizza.

"I don't have to. Once I am done delivering my message to Hiei, Lord Koenma said that I may return to the Makai and return to my mother's side. I don't see why it is any of your business though. I only wanted to meet you because you know Hiei." She explained as she practically wolfed down the first slice of pizza. She would have to find out how to make this so she could take it with her to the Makai.

"But you are human. You aren't a demon." He said once more pointing out the obvious.

"I may be genetically a human, but I was raised as a demon. I bide by their rule: care about yourself and make sure you are all right before caring about others." Leila retorted before starting in on her second slice.

"I am genetically a demon, but rose by a human to be human without her knowing." Kurama told her.

"And you want me to believe that you don't wish every moment to return to the Makai? That you would rather stay here in this annoying world where all humans want is to run about and rule over everything no matter what that thing wants? You wouldn't want to go back to the demon world where you can do whatever you want whenever you want?" she asked, frowning at him and putting her plate down and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"No, at least not while Shiori is alive. Maybe once she has died of old age and happy about it, then I'll return. But that could be many years from now. And until then, I will be much happier to rest here for the time being." Kurama replied with a small smile.

"It won't help that Lord Koenma keeps you here huh?" She replied, frowning. She didn't understand it at all. He rose and came over to sit by her.

"Human's aren't as bad as you may think. Besides Yusuke, how many do you know?" he asked watching as she looked at her knees.

"I know enough to know that he is an exotic species of human. How many would risk their lives twice within a short time for people that they don't know? Not that many." She asked before rising to get away from him. His emotions confused her even more. They spoke of a love for humans that would reach through the dimensions even if he had been forced to go to Demon World.

Kurama reached up and grabbed her wrist as she went to get a new piece of pizza across from them. She jerked in his grasp, turning to stare at him, her eyes wide but unseeing.

_Shiori was his mother. She was teaching him all about kindness. She was helping him even though he was at her mercy. He thought that if she knew she would have killed him soon before. He wanted to do nothing but make her happy after the fifteen years he had already taken from her. He felt bad that she had been the reason she had gotten sick in the beginning. Humans weren't made to give birth to half-human children. _

Their eyes were locked for what seemed like an incredibly long time. She saw all that he felt and was trying to come up with a way to understand them. He just found her blue eyes mesmerizing. It was like she saw everything he had.

She sat down, a human instinct, curiosity, filling her. She looked at his hand which still held hers. She pulled away quickly as she realized what kind of situation she was in. However, she didn't stand to leave again. It was comfortable right where they were. And yet, it was uncomfortable, watching him watch her. She still felt the last doses of pure contentedness that had come from when he thought about humans. While not all were nice, his emotions told her, there were those like his mother who had enough kindness to make up for the rest.

"Come over some time. I'll introduce you to my mother. She'll teach you about humans." Kurama offered.

She thought about it. She'd still have to stay here, but Yusuke and Kurama seemed so insistent that there was no reason to go back to the Makai. There was everything here that she would want. She was about to agree when Yusuke shoved open the door.

"Get your butt up. Hiei just kidnapped Keiko!" he yelled at her.

She pushed herself up quickly and ran to his side. "What are you waiting for?" She demanded with a look glee on her face that she was struggling to cover up. Kurama knew by that look that it was too late to get her to understand humans. Her heart's desire had been granted. They were about to find Hiei.


	5. Message Delivered

Chapter Five—Message Delivered

Yusuke led the way. Botan followed. Last but not least she was followed by an ecstatic young Leila. They had tried to get the message out of her before, but had failed. She held that as close to her as her mother's name. They were not going to hunt her down and find her mother. She would never be accepted if that happened. She'd be seen as a snitch.

Yusuke was the opposite of the young woman. He was boiling with rage. His moods threatened to climb over her shields and encompass her.

Leila was thinking of her message. Maybe she'd be lucky enough that after she delivered it, Hiei would send her back home. It triggered yet another memory of a similar time:

"_I'm staying to train with Shigure." Hiei said, giving her a cold stare with those red eyes of his. He'd just recovered from the Jagan eye surgery. His power was much less than it had been before. Even she could feel the weakness of it though she didn't say anything. "I never needed an empath or a slave and I'll definitely not need one now. Go back to the gang. Tell Him not to send you to me again unless there is a good reason."_

_With that he had turned and left her in the woods where he had taken her. She turned and started to walk off. There was little that she could do unless she wanted to fight with Hiei over it. _

Snapping back to here and now, she noticed they were in an old dock yard. She looked around and sent out tendrils of her magic to find them as the others ran towards a building about a quarter of a mile away.

_What is an empath doing here?_ That was Hiei's voice! Her heart leapt as she heard the first familiar voice since she had been given this mission.

_You have grown stronger since we last spoke. It is nice to know what my new master is such a strong demon._ She said in her mind, knowing that he'd understand. He was a telepath because of his Jagan eye.

_What do you mean? I do not have time to deal with a stupid human who thinks they can suck up to a demon for more power._ He scoffed and she winced from the harshness. It had been many years since they had last spoken. It wasn't unthinkable that he wouldn't remember her.

She brought up memories of their short time together. She had followed him around, no older than five when he went off. They hadn't been necessarily friends, but they had definitely hung out. And then her mind skipped to when she was 11 and they had sent her to find him as he got his Jagan eye.

_What do you mean by 'new master'? _came the snarled reply. She thought about the funeral, the mighty death of the leader of the gang and how he had asked for her to find him and work for Hiei now. How her mother had sent her to find him.

_I do not want a slave. I will have far more than enough of those once I take over this pathetic human world. And they will not be able to disobey me._ He said in her mind. She could almost see the red eyes narrow and calculate as the pause drew out. She walked towards the warehouse.

_I am no more a slave than you are Hiei. I am a servant and will do as you say but there is no way I will be a slave to you. Either accept me as your helper like my mother was to your adoptive father, or send me back to my mother so I may leave this horrible planet and live peacefully. _She didn't like the term slave. It seemed wrong to her. She looked in the warehouse. Botan was crouched over the girl she had met earlier—Keiko. To her amazement Hiei had been fighting while he had spoken to her through their connected minds. She was even more impressed.

She walked in and stood next to Botan, her eyes on the fast movements of Hiei. She didn't really see them, but she could see where Yusuke was getting hit and that filled in what she needed to know.

"Help me Leila!" Botan called, looking up. "Channel your power to help me."

_You are working with these two? Why would I accept a helper who helped them find me?_ Hiei asked as he taunted Yusuke about something.

_I didn't. You led them to yourself. I am here to deliver that message and that is all. My actions outside of that have no importance here._ She told him and ignored Botan. She could feel the silence from Keiko; the pain as Botan channeled all her powers through her hands to keep the eye on the girl's forehead from opening.

Hiei was suddenly in front of the young empath, looking up at her with those ruby red eyes. She took a step back, startled. "You better not help them. And stay out of my way." He growled before jumping out of the way again.

And the fight went on. Eventually Kurama showed up and started to help Botan. She stayed out of the way, taking her spectator assignment very seriously. Then Hiei was hit. She shook her head. How could Hiei, a demon, be taken down by a human? She ran forward past Yusuke who went to find out if Keiko was okay. She could feel resentment at her for not helping as she passed but she had had her orders.

Hiei was unconscious. She fussed over him, trying to figure out if he was alive. Kurama knelt next to her, frowning as he checked out his friend as well. She had pulled him onto his front so she could make sure that his bad was all right. She reached out and touched the burned spot where Yusuke's energy ball had hit. Hiei involuntarily jerked. She jerked her hand away quickly.

"That wasn't nice—allowing Keiko to get hurt while Hiei was fighting." Kurama pointed out as he slung the arm of the smaller fire demon over his shoulder and then stood.

"I told you," She whispered, watching as the unconscious Hiei hung off Kurama. "I'm not a human. Humans worry about others."

"Only humans take orders from others. Demon's don't without a fight." Kurama said scornfully and heading off to take himself and Hiei to Lord Koenma. She didn't know why but the scorn that she had heard in his voice was worse than if he had punched her. She didn't understand. She just wanted to go home. And if by doing whatever Hiei ordered got her there, she would do it. But at the same time she didn't want to be hated by this red hair demon human mix. She couldn't explain it. Finally she just hardened herself to it. She moved over to where Yusuke, Botan, and an unconscious but fully human Keiko was.

"Stay away from us." Yusuke growled, pushing himself to his feet, turning on her. She stopped moving, watching him carefully. "You didn't even bat an eye when Hiei ordered you not to help. I don't want you anywhere near us. If you get any closer, I will not hold myself back and will do to you what I did to that Hiei."

Leila watched him for a moment before walking forward. She knelt next to Keiko despite the growling from Yusuke and the unhappy look of Botan. She deserved it. Kurama had been right; she had acted more like a slave than anything else. She tilted her head and reached out. Just before she could touch the girl, Yusuke grabbed her wrist, not afraid to hurt her. She turned sapphire blue eyes on her holder.

"Do you want her to remember all of this? Because I can tell you just without touching her that she will remember you fighting, and the demons, and everything else. If you want, I can protect your secret by erasing said memories? Hiei never said I couldn't help you if he failed to win." She replied.

"I don't want you going anywhere near her. In fact I'm going to send you back to Lord Koenma with a note that says we don't want your help no more!" Yusuke snarled throwing her away from Keiko, putting his body between the two girls.

Leila went tumbling head over heels until she hit a wall. She coughed at the shock. He was stronger than he appeared. She was no light weight either. She pushed herself slowly up, turning stony eyes on him. It didn't matter. He didn't want her help, so be it. She'd just be home sooner. "I was meaning to make up for that." She spat before limping out. Humans were so … Confusing.


	6. Punishment for Following Orders

Chapter 6—the Punishment for Following Orders

"You are doing what?" screamed the young woman who stood in front of Lord Koenma. "I cannot stay another day in that monstrous world! No one makes sense!" Behind her stood a restrained Hiei who was glaring at Koenma with his own hatred. Sheepishly she would admit to anyone that she was secretly letting his anger fill her with courage to say these things. Of course they were half what Hiei thought as well.

"You will be confined to a small area of Human World where Yusuke can keep an eye on you. Both you and Hiei will be staying there since you seemed so attached to doing what he said." Koenma snapped anger of his own filling the air. He had seen the fight over the large screen. He was not happy that she had done nothing to help until Hiei was unconscious. He wanted to lock Leila up in the deepest dungeon until she died and then send her to Limbo. She had no compassion for anyone but other demons it seemed. Well he was going to make sure that she never helped another demon do such damage again. She had almost cost Yusuke the one thing that had brought him back from death and Koenma didn't want to think about what the young teenager would have done if that would have happened.

"I made a deal with you Koenma." She said in a scary voice. "You swore you'd return me to demon world once I helped you find Hiei! Well here he is. I want to go home!"

"If I have to stay, so will you, you stupid human empath." Hiei snarled, bringing silence to the room. It was the first time he had spoken that evening. She turned to stare at him with a mix of hatred and fear. They used to be, in a looser definition, friends. How could he do this to her? She had to go home and get back to her mother. She had hoped, oh so hoped, that he would just order her back like he had all those years ago.

"Do not try to get out of this Leila. You are here by sentenced to Human World until I see it fit that you be released." Koenma had finished before ordering them through a portal that dropped them off in the middle of their thirty mile radius 'turf'. Thankfully this was the middle of the park that was near her apartment that he had also given her to live in. But he had told her to get herself a job because the funds would end soon enough.

Waiting for them was Kurama. He had been sitting at the base of a large tree reading a book. He helped release Hiei's bounds before going back to his seat. "Let me guess, you both have been ordered to stay in this town or else?" he asked, leaving the girl to free herself. He was still a little miffed about the way she had been selective helpful earlier that day. Had it really only been a few hours since the battle between Yusuke and Hiei? It felt longer.

She pulled at the rope that was around her hands with her teeth collapsing into a cross legged position as she worked on it. Leila wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of answering. She could still feel his anger at her, and she wasn't going to work about it. She had bigger worries. Once she was free she turned on Hiei. "Why did you have to do that?" she demanded. "I just want to go home. Mother expects me home! I told her you wouldn't want to keep me around; that I'd be nothing more than dead weight for you lug around." She started to massage her wrists. They were raw from trying to escape and hurt.

"I wouldn't if I hadn't gotten knocked out by that stupid Spirit Detective. Now I truly need an empath and errand woman." Hiei snapped, going over and jumping into a tree. She huffed and glared after him.

"Your adoptive father would be very angry that you spoke to me that way if he were still alive Hiei." She called after him before going back to inspect her wrists. She couldn't bring herself to look at anything other than them. She was stuck in human world. She wouldn't be allowed to go home. She wouldn't ever see her mother again she didn't think.

She tried to fight the tears that started to come up. They weren't womanly and weren't demon-like. She should be strong and trying to figure a way out of this situation. She bent her shoulders forward and pulled her knees to her chest as she hid her face and started to cry. Her hopes of being a demon's wife were gone. She would never be able to return home and have half-demon children like her mother had done with her step-father. Her little brother, a half demon by the name of Reith, would be turning 10 in a few weeks. She had promised to take him on a stake out with her when he had turned ten.

_Would you shut up? That or put your damned shields up._ Hiei snapped, bringing her out of her silent crying. She snapped her defenses up as high as they could as she turned to glare up at the tree with red eyes.

This caused Kurama to pause. He had thought she was just a Dark empath. But the way she talked, it almost sounded as if she hadn't ever had a choice between that and having a human life. The parent with the empath abilities probably never gave her a chance to choose he figured. Pity started to fill him, but he turned away and looked up at Hiei. "So Hiei, what was her message for you? She never told us."

"She belongs to me now. That's her message. The old demon that I used to live with that thought of me as a son had an empath as a friend and he decided that I obviously needed an empath servant after he died so he sent her here." Hiei called from the trees, giving up on rest as he dropped down to look her over. "She's annoying; I've known her since she was a small child. Never knew when to give up."

"I'm right here." She snarled, pushing herself up and stalking towards him. Only a good grasp on her shoulder from Kurama kept her from attacking the fire demon who was smirking. "You should have just sent me home!"

"Why are you so interested in getting home to that bitch of a mother of yours? She only wants a daughter who'll do her duty and help demons. Isn't that right?" Hiei taunted, just out of reach as Kurama bound her arms to her side by using his own arms.

"Calm down." He said as he felt her start to struggle to him. "Why don't you tell me what's eating at you? It might help you feel better." He didn't really want to deal with her, but he'd show a bit of sympathy. That's what humans did and his mother's words of kindness doing better than anger rang in his mind.

She froze and turned to look at Kurama with wide eyes. Hiei gave him a questioning look. Kurama was confused as to why they were confused. "Don't you ever tell anyone what's the matter? It can't be good for an empath to hold in their own emotions can it? You'd be nothing more than a ticking time bomb waiting for something to make you explode." He explained.

She didn't know why but his logic seemed comical. She started to giggle as she tried to follow the logic which came to a mental picture of her large and round with a fuse out of her head with Hiei lighting the fuse. Hiei gave her a look that said that would be more than willing to happen if she didn't shut up, but she couldn't help it. As the picture grew animated (Kurama was dancing as if trying not to go to the restroom), she started to laugh outright. Her shields were down now and Hiei got the full overwhelming silly scene in his mind. He too couldn't help a small half smile.

When Kurama released her, she slide to her knees and held her sides as she laughed until she was crying once more. The finality of her sentence here on Earth was finally truly taking hold. She sobbed as memories of being with her family went through her head. Without realizing it she reached out to the two boys with her magic and sent them her feelings. Hiei jumped away when he felt the magic inch towards him. He was not going to play receptive with a human; especially a stupid human like her. Kurama however was trapped by the magic and the pity that had started to grow in him before became stronger. Hiei finally dragged him away when he looked as if he was going to start sobbing as well.

Finally she fell silent as acceptance of this horrible punishment settled over her. She sat up straight and looked at her hands before her. When she felt Hiei's mind touch hers she slammed up her defenses so high that he winced. She turned her head to look at him.

"This is your fault." She growled, standing up and advancing on him. She had never felt so human; so alone; so vulnerable. If she didn't get the jump on him, she'd be toast. She was almost there. She pulled back her fist before Hiei disappeared and kicked her in the back. She stumbled forward and turned on him.

Kurama stepped between the two of them and took her by the shoulder. "Come, I'll treat you to lunch and the two of you can cool down." He said and led her away, though she tried several times to go back and try and punch her way through that stupid fire demon.

She didn't calm down until he sat her down at a pizza house and ordered her a large triple meat pizza. She looked at him and then curled up in the booth on her side, looking out at the restaurant.

"You think I'm despicable." She said, reading his mixed emotions rather than talking about her own. "You think that I should have gone against years of training and helped that Keiko girl. And yet you pity me as well, probably because I'm human and have no say in where I end up."

Kurama watched her from his side of the table and inclined his head. "Yes. I suppose there is no reason denying it. But what I want to know is why you are so dedicated to Hiei that you would do whatever he told you without question? You seemed like a very free minded young woman when we spoke earlier today in your kitchen." He told her, taking a drink from his water that the waitress brought by along with a root beer (another addiction that she had obtained while in Human world) for Leila.

Leila looked out at the restaurant and yet didn't see anything. She felt like she could trust this man. Trust. That wasn't something that she had been taught. And he didn't like her anymore after her actions at the warehouse. Who would? She sighed and looked at him after taking a sip of her root beer, the fizz making her smile a little.

"It started about 11 years ago. My mother was married to a demon that was part of Hiei's adoptive father's gang. I was being led around by my mother when she was doing an errand when I and Hiei ran into each other. I found him fascinating. He looked so wise and yet so small like me. Not having a good control over my powers at the time, I read him and said so. He got angry and almost killed me." She said with a grin, remembering it.

Her mother had swooped her up and kicked the small demon away from her daughter. Leila had then turned and hit her mother lightly on the arm telling her that the demon wasn't going to hurt her really. He just wanted to see if she was scared of him. Her mother had then planned it out with Hiei's adoptive father and they had become friends quickly after that. But then he had left in search of more fun things. She worked on her control and then was sent to find him when she was 11. She was accompanied by her father until they found Hiei and then he left her with the fire demon. That was when he had gone to get his jagan eye. Then he'd sent her away.

"And so when the leader of my father's gang passed away, he paid my mother and father a handsome sum for me to be sent to work with Hiei if he wished. And here I am, stuck with an ungrateful demon on a world that I don't even understand." She said, finishing her story as she took a slice of the fresh pizza that had just arrived.

Kurama took a slice himself and began to eat, wondering what kind of life this girl must have had to make her think that demons were better company than other humans. Of course, she's probably been raised with comments such as stupid human slung at her without the demons getting to know her. He sat back and ate in silence for a little bit, letting her enjoy her pizza. Maybe he'd be able to teach her how to be more human like. She was stuck here until Hiei's banishment was finished.


	7. A Stranger hath come

Chapter 7—A Stranger hath come

Kurama finally finishing his slice of the pizza leaned forward. "Do you have a place to stay? Outside of the apartment that Koenma gave you?" he asked, receiving a snort for his attempts.

"That apartment is soon going to be gone. He won't house me any longer since I followed my master's orders." Leila responded, glaring at the fifth root beer she had started to down. She didn't think she could eat much more. After seven pieces of pizza, which she had scarfed down without really counting, and four bottles of root beer, she was starting to feel horribly bloated. She took a sip of the drink and put it down. The fizz wasn't giving her the happiness it had earlier during her first two drinks. "I have until the end of the month to find a place to stay and get a job he said."

Kurama looked down at his water and thought carefully about what he was about to do. He was about to invite a human who had thought that demons were the best of employers into his home with his mother still weak. He was about to put his mother at risk of ridicule from someone who was also human. He finally relaxed back. If he could teach her what he saw in the human race, maybe she'd be better equipped to hand this new lifestyle that she was being forced to live in.

"You are more than welcome to stay at my house Leila. As long as you gave my mother a chance I'm sure she'd be more than happy to allow you to stay in one of the guest bedrooms." Kurama said, looking at her blue eyes that shot to look him over with suspicion.

She sat straight in her booth and turned to look at him fully. He didn't seem like the type that would ask something of a young woman just to force her into a situation where he could get her to do whatever he wanted. But then one couldn't tell with demons, even demons that said that they believed in human morals.

"What will you ask for in return? I have nothing to my name. If you demand sexual favors, you can forget about it. I won't give my body just to have a roof over my head. I'd much rather live outdoors next to Hiei." She said, as if this was normal part of bargaining. She knew that some demons liked having wenches of their own and she refused to be one of them. That was one step she wouldn't take. She looked at Kurama and waited; her magic going out to brush his feelings. Disgust at the suggestion filled him.

"That never crossed my mind." Kurama told her and shook his head. "All I want in return is your kindness to my family. She does not need to be called stupid ever three seconds by you. In return I'll house you and help you along." Of course he'd also be teaching her about humans. But that would come later. She waited a few more moments to see if any feelings from him carried any hint of bad to come before agreeing.

And that's where she stayed for the next few months. The days were long for the young empath who was fighting to keep her emotions in check while keeping everyone else's out. She was introduced to home schooling since Shiori (Suichi's mother) took the young girl under her wing the moment she arrived and had been appalled at the lack of knowledge of the human world the girl had. Through the months she interacted with more humans than she knew what to do with and had started to form a very different mental picture for them. She'd even started to feel sorry that she had done such a horrible thing when Hiei had ordered her to leave Keiko to die.

Kurama had taken the time to introduce her to as many things human as he possibly could. He took her to the movies, to school, to the park and to a homeless shelter. He showed her as many aspects of the world as he could over the months. And then while he was off helping the spirit detective (who still didn't like her), she had been left alone with his mother during the outbreak. She had protected the woman without letting her on to anything that was wrong. After all, how could she explain that there were bugs that were trying to take over her mind and make her evil? Then Kurama had returned and it was a few weeks after that that something strange happened.

One such night Leila found herself up in Kurama's room getting tutored on algebra—a subject that had come almost second nature to her—while Shiori was out.

"No, you have to move this '3 to the other side of the equation. Remember, what you do on one side-" Kurama was saying before her head snapped up from the problem at the door that led to the hallway.

"You have to do to the other side." She replied absently before pushing herself from the desk and following her instincts. There was someone in the house besides Shiori. Her magic vibrated as it slid over the person. Secretive. That explained the person best. They wanted to get in and get out, no questions asked. They were heading towards Shiori first. Scorn at the human filled the creature as they looked at her as she made some food for the two studiers. That was sweet. She blinked as the thought registered. She wasn't starting to be human was she? She shook her head and jerked when Kurama came up behind her and into her peripheral vision.

She went down the stairs as silently as she could, wrapping the intruder in her magic. She remembered the way that the hospital had felt and threw those emotions at them. Only they bounced off a shield and flew back at her. She cringed and threw up her own shields. That was unusual. She felt the person turn and head towards them, their attention now fully on her. They had lost all interest in the human now.

Kurama passed her and got into hiding, looking at the tall stranger that had come into their home. He waited until he had stepped passed him to wind his whip around them, securing their arms to their sides. Without waiting, the empath reached out with her magic again and made Shiori feel like baking cookies for them rather than sandwiches. That would keep her out of the way for a time. They dragged the black clad person up to his bedroom, closing the door behind them

When she turned to look at the person, she gasped. Standing there, tied like a robber was a woman she knew almost as well as she knew this house. Her mother stood there patiently, watching her daughter with a look of approval. Her brown and black outfit was very human like which scared her daughter. Her black hair was nothing like the brown that the young girl possessed. It was straight and flat. Her blue eyes however were definitely the same as her daughters. She looked to be about forty.

"Mama?" She asked softly.

"Well I am impressed. You have learned more about your powers than I would ever have introduced you too. Maybe when you return home, you'll be in even better shape to help a demon." She said with a dark smile.


	8. The First True Human Emotion

Chapter 8— The First True Human Emotion

Leila didn't know what to think. She wanted to go and run and hug her mother and tell her all the bad news. And then on the other hand she wanted nothing more than to ask her where she had been all this time and why hadn't she come to take her from this hell hole sooner. Of course she was also feeling the astonishment of her house mate Kurama. The words her mother had said also played a hand in the reaction that she showed.

Her mother wanted her to go home just so she could sell her once more time to a different demon that might treat her worse that Hiei was while she was here. Despite his threats of making her run his errands and other things he had left her more or less alone through the time only needing her help when convincing a park official that had stumbled across him to leave without making a fuss. Even then it had only been to compel him to feel all right about it.

She walked over and sat on Kurama's bed, looking at her hands as Kurama unwound his whip form around her, though his gaze on the true Dark Empath was untrusting. He did nothing to hide it either which caused the woman to laugh.

"I wouldn't trust myself either young boy." She replied before turning her attention back on the young woman who was in difficulty at the moment. "I am Lady Serena. And you are?"

"I am Kurama." He said, not leaving any room for her to ask more. She accepted that as she turned to her daughter. "So what are you waiting for girl? We must go now if you are to return home with me. I can only stall the portal being closed for a few more hours. And it is an easy hour journey from here."

Did she really want to leave? Did she really want to leave this world that had soda and music, and relaxation time for a world that had work, work and more work? Did she want to leave Shiori—the woman that had treated her more like a daughter than Serena ever had? Did she want to leave Hiei to fend for himself in this new, strange world?

_Do I really want to leave Kurama?_ She found herself asking herself. She felt something tickle her mind and snapped her walls up quickly, keeping her mother from her thoughts. While she took no problem with reading other's thoughts, her thoughts were hers and hers alone. She didn't want her mother seeing how soft she had gotten during her stay here on Earth in the Human World; how much she had grown to love this place though she refused to admit it.

"Daughter, I told you never to do that to me. I am your mother and am far more than allowed to see what my daughter is feeling." Serena scowled. When had her daughter become such a pain? She used to be docile to her parents. What had happened while she was here in this damned world to make her like this? "Now come. You are returning with me, or will I have to bring your father through the portal to force you to come with us?"

Her shoulder's stiffened. Her father was a demon she never wanted to meet again. While Lady Serena had married the demon he was hardly there when Leila was and she had only met him once. He had been drunk on battle lust at the time and when he had turned his eye on the young girl, Serena had let him. He was easily at b-class demon and would hurt anyone in his way.

Kurama noticed the stiffening of his friend and the way that the woman never called her by her name. What had ever made the girl want to return to that world? He supposed anyone who had met Shiori would not want to return to a house where their identity was hidden behind a word.

"Leila," he said, bringing both women's attention to him. "You are more than welcome here. If you want you may remain here with me and my human mother. Shiori would be sad if you left. She see's you as a daughter all ready."

Leila still had her shields up against the prodding fingers of her mother's magic. They were starting to press harder against her shields too. Soon she would break through. She would never be strong enough to keep her mother's powers out of her mind completely. This human world prized choice. She liked to think that she had that ability to choose her own destiny.

Finally she let her shields fall and she rose. Her mother's magic tightened around her mind, feeling out her emotions. As soon as they felt her desire to remain, they started to squeeze tighter. Serena wouldn't let her daughter stay her. If she had to, she'd destroy hat desire and her free will until she could be retrained.

Only that desire, no matter how much her mother turned to glare at her and how much her magic pressed it down, floated up and stuck in her mind. Kurama finally stepped forward and took Serena by the shoulder, breaking her concentration. He was a few inches taller than her five foot eight height. His green eyes were sharp as he looked at Leila who sighed with relief.

"Here in human world, you do not have the right to take away her free will just for your own selfish reasons." He told her, his grip tightening on her shoulder.

"And I'll remind you that she is still a minor by human world laws, which means I have every right to take her where I please. Release me boy, or I will have to force you." Serena told him, turning her glare on him as well as her magic only she jerked away when she realized that he was no mere human. Her eyes were large as she looked at the young man. "Who are you?"

Leila was surprised by her mother's surprise and turned to look between the two before going to the door just as there was a knock on it. She opened it a crack and smiled through. "Oh, Mrs. Minamino, for us? Thank you so much." She said, taking the cookies that were produced on a plate, shielding the other two with her body as she spoke a few more moments about school things before turning and closing the door with her foot. She put the food on Kurama's desk and took a cookie. Then she turned, eating said cookie, to stare at the two that were in a deadlock. Thankfully they had stayed quiet during Shiori's little visit.

"I am Suichi Minamino, the son of the woman downstairs. I am also known by my friends as Kurama. To people like you, Yoko would do just fine." The red head said, releasing her and going to take a cookie as well. No one could resist his human mother's cooking. "Of course, you probably don't know who Yoko Kurama is either."

That was news to Leila. Oh the legends of Yoko Kurama were everywhere in her bedtime stories. He'd in fact been one of her favorite demon legends when she had been small. She looked at Kurama. "You never told me—"

"I don't normally give that information out. It's hard enough keeping my mother protected when there are other demons that know that I'm alive and not a legend. Imagine if I came out and told everyone with a neon light that I was Yoko Kurama? I'd never get any peace if she was left alone." Kurama said logically before looking back at Serena who seemed to be a bit scared now. She had obtained the wrath of a well known and powerful demon. And despite the outward appearance of human, he could split her three ways to Wednesday if he chose.

"You wish to keep my daughter, Lord Yoko? You may have her for free." Serena said, taking the opportunity in hand. If anything she was a saleswoman to the end. She would get the best deal for her daughter's services if it was going to kill her. Her mother looked at Leila who seemed outraged by this new twist. "Oh don't look at me like that daughter. You knew from the day you were sent to Hiei that he would not accept you as a servant and now you will serve another as is your duty being an empath—"

"You could ask what I think of it first! If I want to go home first." Leila replied, sounding far more outraged than she was letting trickle over her newly put up shields. Kurama could almost taste the emotions as they started grow around her. Without knowing it, the emotions she had tried to keep to herself were flying far over her shield and heading straight for her mother who threw up her own defenses a second too late. Abandonment, outrage, pain, interest, acceptance, love. Everything the girl had felt since first being punished by being forced to stay here went flying at her mother until it was too much for her to handle and she scrambled out of the room. Leila followed, glaring after her until she was out in the street.

"Don't come back. I don't want to go back!" She screamed as she slammed the front door, bring Shiori running as she crumpled with her back to the door. She started to sob as the realization of what she had just done hit her. She'd chosen the human race over her own family. She wouldn't be asked back to her family after that. In fact she was surprised that her mother hadn't tried to fight the power that she had used to push her out of the house.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Shiori asked as the girl showed the first emotion besides disbelief and contentedness. "Suichi what happened? Who did she yell at?"

Kurama stood at the top of the stairs staring at the young woman. He seemed to be as shocked as his human mother was. Could a human really just give her daughter away to a demon because it would suit her better? He finally snapped out of it and came running down the stairs.

"Her mother came. The one we told you abandoned her here in the city?" he said, bringing up the cover story that they had come up with to convince his mother to let her stay. Now, sadly it had become truth. He almost wished they had chosen a different cover story. "She wanted her to come back home. Leila didn't want to. Here I'll take her up to my room. We still need to finish up some school work for you." He knelt and picked the young girl up. When he had first met her she had been nothing but skin and bones. Now after having many filling meals she was starting to fill out in the right ways. He was able to pick her up though and take her up to his room.

She curled against the warmth she felt against her right cheek as the sobs continued. She was alone now. She really didn't have any family. _Wait_, her mind told her though, _you have Shiori and Kurama now. They will be enough until you can go back to Demon world and strike out on your own. Or you can stay and live in this world. It isn't as bad as you think it is. _

She liked that. That was something she could do. Kurama placed her on the bed and looked down at her before sitting next to her. "That was pretty brave of you." He told her softly, stroking hair out of her face so the tears wouldn't get any wetter.

Leila sat up and looked at him through teary eyes. "You mean that was pretty human of you." She whispered as she blinked for a moment. After letting all her own emotions out, it came without a struggle to keep her shields up and still feel other's emotions. She stared at him and tilted her head. He was proud of her. She was taken aback by this and looked away quickly, wiping the rest of her tears away.

"That it was. But there's nothing to be ashamed of for that." He told her. Leila's blue eyes locked with his green ones and she shivered. The intensity of his emotions that she was feeling was intoxicating. She was surprised at how complicated they were and yet how simple. He was proud of her while being sad that she had had to choose between his family and her own. He was interested in how she would turn out as a human now that she had chosen but also weary she would choose after all his hard work to become a Dark Empath when she was freed of her sentence.

"No. There isn't." she replied, nodding her head. "You were right all along. Getting emotions out is better than bundling them all up. I should have listened to you before." There was a knock on the door then. Kurama stood to go open it and Botan entered in a hurry. When she saw the tear stained eyes of the young woman and the red nose that made it obvious she had been crying, she almost stopped to ask if Kurama had done something to her. Almost.

"An empath just crossed over from Demon world. She goes by the name Lady Serena." Botan said, turning to the young woman. "We need you to go fight her and either incapacitate her or get her to go to Lord Koenma. What? What's wrong?" A look of sadness and laughter filled the young woman's face.

"That's my mother. She was just here. You are about ten minutes too late." Leila explained before standing weakly. That burst of emotions had worn her out more than she had thought.

"What? Did the demon that came with her come here also?" Botan asked, sounding frantic.

"Demon? What demon?" Kurama asked, stiffening.

"His name is Phobos. He is a—" Botan said before Leila whimpered. Leila's body felt as if it had just been dunked in ice. Her eyes were wide as she collapsed back down onto the bed.

"He's a fear demon. He lives off fear." Leila said in a ghost of a whisper. Then she locked eyes with the pink ones of Botan and then the forest green of Kurama's. "He's my mother's husband. He's my father."


	9. Mom and Pop

Chapter 9 – Mom and Pop

There was only one way to describe Leila after the realization that her stepfather was in human world—terrified. Even when Botan had sounded pleased at this development with saying something about how that gave them an edge now; the young woman just sat on the bed fear ridden. She couldn't even move. It made sense why her mother had bowed down so quickly when she had shoved her out magically. Lady Serena was going to bring Phobos here and make her leave with them.

That would mean that Phobos would attack Shiori. She knew a lot about her father. He loved making human's whimper in fear before taking it out on them. She pushed herself up from the bed startling both of the two. Kurama had been telling Botan to lie off of her and let her calm down.

"Leila, are you okay?" he asked, walking over to touch her arm. Leila jerked her arm away and walked past the two, stopping at the door.

"Tell Koenma I'll get Phobos and Serena to go back into the portal. You both don't need to worry about it." She said before disappearing out of the house as quick as she could. She was trembling with fear. Phobos had to be near. And he knew that she would try and run. What else was she going to do when the man that had tortured her for hours when she was little? But she had different reasons to do it now.

"Leila, wait." Kurama said from the front door. She had paused there to think of which way to go. She turned to look at him. He stepped forward and reached out to touch her cheek. It was the scariest thing of the night so far if one didn't count Phobos. "What are you going to do?"

"He's going to come here. When he doesn't feel me here he'll follow me. He won't bother with Shiori." She told him, their eyes locked. While he had taken her to the movies he hadn't taken her to any 'chick flicks' and thus she didn't realize the intent until it was already being formed. He leaned down and brushed soft lips against hers. A jolt of surprise and pleasure shot through her before fear. She jerked away. She didn't stay around to see the sadness as her reaction cross Kurama's face. She felt it just fine. She turned and ran away from the house.

While her human mind wanted nothing but to stay secure in his arms, she knew that wasn't a possibility. If her step-father found out about that, he'd use Shiori or Kurama to lure her back to him. While Kurama could easily have caught up with the sprinting girl, he let her go. He turned to Botan and demanded to be taken up to Koenma.

She ran. That's all Leila could think. The farther she got away from her new home the safer they would be. She eventually found herself in a clearing similar to the one that Hiei occupied. She turned in a circle fear suddenly spiking in the animals and her. She couldn't breathe; the fear was so thick here. He'd found her. She stumbled a few steps forward and turned around. Her head snapped from side to side before the fear increased, pressing down harder on her shields until they shattered as she was left defenseless against the fear. She screamed as the man stepped forward from the dark trees that surrounded her.

"Yes, Lei. Scream for daddy." The man said with a dark chuckle as she collapsed to her knees in fear. What else was she supposed to do? Her other emotions were dragged away and squashed by this fear he pushed towards her. Finally it got too much as he knelt in front of her and took her chin in his slip tanned fingers. She stared up at the man. His Greek skin gleamed under the moon as his dark brown hair curled around his face. He looked completely harmless—just a normal human. It was his eyes that gave him away though. They were pitch back and full of obvious delight in her fear and pain. She passed out as those eyes bore into her.

Nothing mattered in this darkness. All she wanted was to get away from the man that was causing the fear and anguish. And she had succeeded. But how long was it until he was able to wake her up? Would it take long enough for the Spirit Detective to get here and kicked Phobos back to Demon World? She winced as consciousness returned to her. She was tied up against a tree and the first thing she saw were her mother and father kissing. A young boy no older than ten stood next to them, busily studying a spider the size of his hand that was climbing up his arm.

Her mother pulled away from Phobos and turned to look at her with a look of glee. She had always known that it would come down to this. Her daughter always had been strong willed. Now after spending this time in human world, she had lost all the lessons she had been taught up to this point. With her will temporarily broken after Phobos had destroyed her shields, she would be more malleable than when she was a child. "Dear daughter, I'm sorry to say that you won't be fitting to serve a demon until you've been re-educated. And it seems that your father wishes to do the teaching." She said, stepping over next to her son—a true half demon. He looked up at his mother and then back at his pet demonic spider

"I don't want to be re-educated." Leila whispered. Her throat was killing her after her scream earlier.

Phobos grinned. He always liked fighters. They had something to protect which meant they had something they feared would happen to the protected. He'd find out what it was and force her to live through it. And if it was this world? Oh he could think of all sorts of things that he could do to the earth that would make her see just how stupid it was to protect it. He moved forward and she cringed from him. He wasn't even doing anything yet and her cringe made him feel almost giddy inside. This was his drug—this unconscious fear this his step-daughter was presenting to him.

She knew from the look that her father had that she had misstepped terribly. She'd given up some of her ground. He'd be able to use that against her.

_Lord Koenma, if you are listening, please get your stupid Spirit Detective here soon._ She whispered in her mind before working on rebuilding her shields. It would take a time but if she focused on them rather than her family, she might just be able to get them up. As the first block of her shield went up her father smashed it down by throwing a ball of fear at her. Irrational thoughts ran through her.

_What if he's already killed Shiori? _

_What if he's finished off Kurama? _

_Would you shut up? We are on our way already. Your screams could be heard for miles by any telepath. Stall for another twenty minutes. He took you a pretty far distance away._ Came a new voice, a voice that she worshiped and treasured at that moment. Hiei.

It gave her the strength to focus on her shields again. The fear was in her, but she wouldn't let it overrun her common sense. That was the killer. If she let him push that fear in her—

Her mind went numb with terror. Her brother had stepped forward and let the demon spider fall onto her body with a plop. It slowly began to search out its new home. If it was one thing that terrified her the most it was this spider. Normally, human world spiders didn't scare her in the least. They were ants compared to this spider.

Eight eyes focused in on her face and she bit back a scream as it started to move from her foot up her leg. It found easy purchase on the jeans and green shirt she was wearing. They were hand me downs from Kurama's mother, but they fit well enough. The spider was on her stomach, its pincers drawing most of her attention. Those front teeth could inject enough poison to kill her in minutes. She started to tremble. It froze though.

Her father floated closer, high on the fear he was feeling emanate off his daughter. Her brother was watching the spider, keeping it from moving forward with his thoughts until his father told him to let it go. The Spider started to turn in circles as if trying to find a new place to be. Phobos touched the girl's cheek causing her to jump, nearly throwing the spider off to her delight, but it still clung on.

As his powers soared as her fear increased as the spider sat on her stomach, he was curious as to find out what she was willing to protect. "Why won't you return home with us? If you promise to come back without a fight and promise to drop these foolish ideas of yours, we'll take the spider away and leave whatever you are protecting alone." He promised.

She slowly tore her gaze away from the spider and looked at her father. Memories of kindness from Shiori and Kurama filled her with strength to resist. She closed her eyes, blocking out the image of the spider. If she didn't see it, she wouldn't be afraid right? She could still feel it on her stomach and all she wanted to do was scream and scream and try and get the stupid thing off her. She tried to focus but then it began moving up over her chest and when it touched her chin with a hairy foreleg. She screamed, jerking her head away.

Phobos laughed and took the spider and gave it to his son who ran off to play with it some more. It was then, following her brother with her eyes, that she noticed the human that was hanging from a similar tree. Her brother ran over to her and her eyes focused on the brown hair and brown eyes. Keiko. What was she doing here? Leila started to try and get her bonds to free as her brother placed the spider on the ground underneath the young woman who screamed and struggled just as hard as Leila was.

"Keiko! Shush. Don't make any noise!" Leila called, ignoring her father who now seemed almost ecstatic with all the fear and then finding something that Leila thought was worth talking too. "It reacts to noise! The more you make the more likely it is to bite you. The same with movement!" Keiko turned her head to look at Leila, fear oh so plain on her human face.

It then occurred to Leila that this girl had the worst luck in the world. First Hiei attacks her. Then she had been chased by demon control homicidal humans who were being controlled by a demon that wanted to make Yusuke suffer. Now she was being terrified by another demonic bug that could make her its nest if it wished. She couldn't help it, a small smile splayed over her face. She would have to teach this girl how to stay out of trouble if this kept going on.

Then she felt the binding around her loosen just a fraction. Hope seared up in the back of her mind. She watched her mother watch her brother. So her attention was on him was it? She had recovered enough of her energy to throw up her shields to max force. However instead she slowly put them up, keeping the characteristics of fear on her face and body. As her shields went up, the fear dissipated and she was able to think straight.

First she had to get these bindings undone. Then she had to get that spider away from her friend. Last of all she had to get the two of them away from here as fast as she could. That was a tall order, but she thought she could at least do that and have Yusuke and the Spirit Squad, as she begun to call them, finish her father off.


	10. Overcoming Stereotypes

Chapter 10 — Overcoming Stereotypes

The bindings were getting looser. The spider was on the young human's foot. In a moment she would be able to take them by surprise. But how? She still had to figure that out. When her bindings came lose, she didn't waste time trying to think of a way out, she just acted. She burst forward as quickly as she could, knocking her brother over in her rush to get to Keiko. She swiped the spider off and turned to stare at the three others that were closing in.

Using as much power as she dared, she threw emotions at them one by one as her fingers worked nimbly on the rope. To her father and brother, she sent emotions filled with love and joy and happiness. That would keep them weak for a while. Then to her mother she pelted her with any emotion she could feel in the world at the time, using Keiko's fright, and an anger that was coming from farther off that she could only assume was Yusuke's once he found out Keiko was there.

When the knots were undone she grabbed Keiko's hand and dragged her away. Her arms hurt from being tied up for an hour, but she would just have to live through it. She eventually pushed Keiko out in front as she started to feel herself start to drag a little bit. "Go Keiko, keep running." She called. After all of the emotions she had pelted her family with she was starting to feel weak. Thankfully Keiko kept going, not arguing with her. All that Leila could feel from her was absolute terror. When Keiko was out of sight, she dropped to her knees, putting a hand out against a tree to steady herself while she caught her breath.

Leila's blue eyes were wide when a roll of terror ran past her along the ground, seeking out victims. She couldn't let the terror get Keiko. She'd never get away then. She allowed her shields to slip and the fear to trickle in. While it wasn't mind numbing, it kept her from being able to get up and running.

A dark figure stepped over her and her own terror rose its ugly head making the fear that was seeping into her worse. She looked slowly up. If it was one of her family she would submit. She couldn't fight these emotions any more. She just couldn't. It was too much for the fifteen year old empath. She'd lock away her memories of Kurama and Shiori and hold them close to her heart where the others couldn't get rid of them.

"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me?" said a harsh voice, "Listen, I'm not carrying you back. They have Keiko. Not that you care. You probably just handed her over once your demon dad ordered you to." It was Yusuke that stood over her now. Hiei appeared a few seconds later, and the young woman never felt so safe. However, she almost didn't understand. The anger wasn't coming from Yusuke. While yes, there was anger in him, it was the massive anger that had caught her attention.

She stared at him as she tried to find out where the anger was. It was almost on them. Kurama stumbled to a stop and knelt next to her. "Leila? Leila, are you okay?" he asked, checking her pulse. She didn't know it but to them she looked drugged. Her eyes were wide and staring, her pupils were as large as saucers, almost completely obliterating the blue.

Leila finally made sense of it all and shook her head, looking back up at Yusuke and pointed the way they had came. "Phobos… Serena, Gable. They are that way. Watch out for spider." She finally gasped softly. It hurt so badly after screaming that she was sure that something had reached down her throat and scratched her voice box on purpose.

"Keiko kept running that way. I told her keep running no matter what." She pointed weakly the other way with a weak hand. She had to lie down. She started to do that in a haze but Kurama kept her from doing it. When she looked at him questioning, he shook his head.

"You can't sleep yet. You have to get out of here. You have to run." He said, helping her up by practically dragging her to her feet and pushing her towards the way she had indicated was the way Keiko had gone. "Go." He turned to start towards Phobos' last location. She grabbed his hand though, and pulled him back. "What?"

Leila stared up at him and realized this was where the anger had come from. "I was trying to keep you safe, you and your mom." She said in a whisper before turning and stumbling the way that Keiko had gone. She had a new mission and while it was exhausting her, she had to make sure Keiko was okay. She had to make up for what she had done with Hiei's battle.

She kept walking until she hit the main road that led back to town. Keiko waited there for her and caught the girl as she fell. "I told you to keep running no matter what." She told Keiko as she fainted. She had done her duty to Yusuke. She had gotten his girlfriend out of the trouble. Now it was her turn to get a little break.

She awoke two days later in Kurama's guest room. She sat up and looked around. No one was there and when she reached out to use her magic she cried out. Pain seared through her as her magic drew away from her. She looked at her hands and tried again to touch the magic that had been a part of her life since the small age of two. She looked up when Kurama entered the room followed by Yusuke and Keiko.

She couldn't bring herself to look at Yusuke or Keiko. If she had just gone home in the beginning she wouldn't have put Keiko through that horrible ordeal. "I can't use my magic." She told Kurama, worry plain in her features. Kurama looked at the other two and then sat down next to her. The two left and closed the door and Kurama explained.

They had found Phobos in pain along with his son. It seemed that the happiness that she had fed into them when she was working on getting Keiko free had hurt them worse than she thought. They had arrested them after Yusuke got in a few punches on the little kid for putting the spider on Keiko. But Serena was nowhere to be found. When they got back to Keiko, they found Serena kneeling over Leila.

"As far as we were able to tell she locked up your powers." Kurama said softly, "And put safeguards around them so that anyone trying to unlock them would get hurt." He watched as she seemingly crumbled inside.

Leila wasn't able to use her powers? "Tell me that horrid person is locked up. Tell me you got her and can make her reverse this!" she said, grabbing Kurama's arm with trembling fingers.

"She slipped away before we could get her. I'm sorry."Kurama said before placing a calming hand on hers. "But we'll find a psychic that can undo this. We'll get your powers back." He wasn't quite sure how true that was going to be, but it would keep her calm for now. "But right now, Keiko wants to thank you. Would you mind if I let her in before she comes bursting in here anyway?"

Just as he finished talking, Botan shoved the door open and came over to the young woman who sat there. Keiko and Yusuke followed soon after making sure with Kurama if it was okay. Kurama slipped away from the girl and went to the door and watched from there. Keiko was thanking the girl over and over, but he didn't think Leila comprehended anything but her own powerlessness. Even Yusuke was apologizing for being so mean before. It was if she cut herself off.

Leila tried to think about it as they apologized and thanked her and did other silly human things. And then it clicked. She would no longer be accountable to demons with her powers hidden. She'd be allowed to live how she wanted. She could go to school, or do other human things. She focused in on how Yusuke was describing how he beat Gable to a pulp. She started to grin. She was easy enough to speak with after that and soon they left as well. Shiori was out she gathered from the way Kurama waited in the doorway.

"Kurama?" She asked softly, her eyes searching his green eyes. She was remembering the last thing he did to her out on the doorstep that night when she ran away.

"Yes?" he asked, walking closer and sitting on her bed again. When he seemed relaxed, she pushed herself weakly forward and kissed his cheek. When she drew away their eyes locked. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his eyes searching hers as he drew her into another kiss. This one lasted for a few moments before a cough from the doorway broke them apart. Leila jerked away and nibbled on her lip embarrassed; Kurama looked at the door quietly, hoping his gaze singed the person there.


	11. Interruptions

_**NOTE FROM AUTHOR: I probably should have told you all this before, but currently I am on vacation in the lovely city of Laughlin. ^o^ Sadly I cannot gamble yet since I am under the age of 21, but I can enjoy the pool, the sun, and most of all, the relaxing loveliness of this hotel room with Wi-Fi. While I won't be updating the stories as much as I have been over the last few weeks, I will get a few chapters up. Also, for any of you Kuronue fans out there, if I get my way, which I believe I will ( ;3), I will be posting an alternative universe Kuronue x OC story by the name of "Bats are Blind". Keep an eye out for it to come to you soon. -ROSEY **_

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

"Kurama?" She asked softly, her eyes searching his green eyes. She was remembering the last thing he did to her out on the doorstep that night when she ran away.

"Yes?" he asked, walking closer and sitting on her bed again. When he seemed relaxed, she pushed herself weakly forward and kissed his cheek. When she drew away their eyes locked. He cupped her cheek in his hand, his eyes searching hers as he drew her into another kiss. This one lasted for a few moments before a cough from the doorway broke them apart. Leila jerked away and nibbled on her lip embarrassed; Kurama looked at the door quietly, hoping his gaze singed the person there.

Hiei stood there, a small amount of amusement showing on his face as he watched the two from the doorway. "I come to see if my empath is all right and I find a fox taking advantage of her unstable position." he said softly, apparently serious to all that didn't know him well.

This is was a side to Hiei that he didn't show anyone else but the two of them in front of him. Leila had gone so far as to read his emotions once when he had talked this way and had felt a sort of calmness in him that she never felt when around others. And then she was reminded of how she couldn't feel that from him anymore. She knew it was there but she couldn't _feel_ it anymore.

He seemed to have heard her thoughts and he frowned. He stared at her as he worked his way through the maze of her astonished mind towards the lock that locked away her powers. He extended his own powers towards it and snarled as they were shoved back by a wave of power that bit and clawed at him. She flinched as she felt his magic claw through her mind. Kurama looked between the two trying to figure out if he had been scolded or teased; if Hiei was able to fix her problem or wasn't.

Hiei gritted his teeth and pushed forward again, his Jagan eye glowing under the white headband that covered it from other people's sight. She gasped as the power from his third eye slammed into the shield. They had eyes for only each other at that moment and all romantic notions for Kurama and Leila were forgotten as they fought to unlock her powers. Suddenly she was trembling and Hiei was thrown physically back.

Kurama rose and rushed to his friend, kneeling as he looked over at the young woman who seemed to have snapped back into reality as soon as Hiei's power in her mind snapped. She stood and took a few weak steps before collapsing to her legs. When he half rose to go to her, she held up a hand and crawled the rest of the way to Hiei's side. She was still was 'his' empath. She much rather be his than anyone else's at the moment, especially not Phobos'. She pulled his head onto her lap. He was out cold but thankfully otherwise unhurt.

"Are you okay Leila?" Kurama asked after he was sure that his friend was not going to be responding right then. His green eyes searched her face when she looked up at him. Had the kiss been too much? Had he scared her away?

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about Hiei though. Whatever my mother did to me to lock away my powers, she put something powerful on it. It was causing him pain even if he won't admit it." She said, brushing off his concern quickly. She turned her gaze back down to Hiei as she touched his forehead gently to make sure it hadn't given him a sickness or anything. She didn't know what she was going to do. Her mind had gone to the kiss when he had asked if she was okay. It had been nice. She'd always been afraid to touch anyone really. Touch had always amplified her empathic abilities. What if she touched someone and she found out that they really didn't like her or other things about her that she truly didn't want to think about?

With the kiss the evening before she had been too preoccupied to feel what he had been feeling. With this one her empathic abilities were gone and she couldn't tell if it was a sympathy kiss, or could it mean something else? Then again she wasn't much of a human yet and didn't know the difference to begin with.

Kurama reached out and tilted her head up by her chin, his green eyes searching her face. She allowed her deep blue gaze to meet his for a moment. He opened his mouth to do something; to say something. What with Hiei's half joke, he didn't want Leila to get the wrong impression. He hadn't meant to take advantage of her situation. It had just seemed to him like the right moment to push forward. They had been alone. She had kissed his cheek. What was he supposed to think?

_If you are going to kiss her, do it now while my eyes are still closed you stupid fox. _Hiei's voice came in his mind, making Kurama jerk and look down. Hiei still appeared to be knocked unconscious, yet the corners of his lips were tucked up a tiny bit in a smile. Kurama wanted to punch him but that would bring attention to Hiei's surprising goodwill towards the two of them that he didn't think Hiei wanted. Or he would have spoken.

Leila had turned away to look down the hall to see if she heard anything that would suggest that Shiori was home.

"You know, I should probably get Hiei back to his clearing. We don't need Shiori coming home and finding him lying here in the middle of the hallway. Who knows how long he'll be out and even if my powers are locked away I am still his empathy as he said. I should make sure that he's okay and in a safe place until he awakens." She said softly, speaking logic once more.

Kurama had lost his chance to make her understand that he had not wanted to take advantage of her. "Let's just move him into your room for the time being. I have a feeling that he'll be waking soon. Nothing can keep him down for long. And if there was, then he'd just get back up and fight it until it was unconscious or dead." Kurama said with a laugh before picking his friend up and depositing him onto the bed.

Leila sat motionless on the ground watching him as he moved him. She tilted her head and grinned. She didn't need to be an empath to know that Kurama cared a lot about his friends. It was written all over his face. When he turned to see if she was following, she pushed herself from the ground and weakly walked over to the chair near the side of the bed. By the time that she was able to get over to it, Hiei was already sitting up, looking at them like they were the craziest people on the earth.

"Kurama, anything happens to my empathy and I'm holding you responsible." Hiei said before disappearing. She loved it when he did that. It was a so demonic. He was there one moment and then gone the next. So simple and sleek. But now she was left alone with Kurama who was once more looking at her.

She swallowed and willed herself to feel less weak. She should be moving around by now. She shouldn't be sitting there staring up at him. She should move. She should…

He walked over, running smooth fingers over her cheek which caused a shiver to go up her spine. She inhaled to say something only to have the front door open and close. Shiori was home and Kurama had once more lost a chance to explain. He wanted to go down there and ask his mother to leave for a few moments so he could talk to Leila alone but he wouldn't. Not really.

"Mother decided that when we brought you back unconscious that she was going to make you your favorites for breakfast." Kurama said, brining her attention to the fact that the sun was raising. She felt even worse now knowing that Shiori had gone out before dawn to the supermarket to get her some food.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I'll not make it back up the stairs if I move." Leila joked before looking away from him and focusing on the bed that she'd been lying on.

"Then I'll just have to carry you back up." Kurama said without thinking. Then their eyes locked and the tension between them swelled back again. Would they ever be able to return to what they had been before?

Leila looked away first and pushed herself up. She was distinctly aware of how close their bodies were at that moment as she looked shyly up at him. She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked at the young man. He couldn't help it. It was adorable. He'd noticed that she did that when she was nervous. He reached out and pulled her slowly into another kiss.

Her heart leapt. His heart smashed against his chest. Boy he'd been kissing a lot lately. They parted after a moment of a passion filled kiss. She couldn't help herself. She leaned up returning the favor. Then they heard the footsteps of Shiori coming down the hall and parted. By the time that Shiori entered the room to check up on them, she found Kurama sitting n the chair that Leila had just vacated and the young woman under the blankets once more, yawning and looking as if she just woke up.

"Oh I'm so glad you are awake. I was worried we'd have to take you to the hospital and with no insurance or proof of who you are we never would have been allowed to bring you home." She joked with a smile though her worry showed.


	12. School Field Trip

_**Note from author: So I go to sleep one night with no reviews and wake up the next morning with almost 20 reviews for Courage to Feel and several for Bats are Blind. You guys have no idea how wonderful and happy that makes me feel. :D Thank you EVERYONE for your reviews and I want to give special thanks to D101 for giving such constructive feedback (on both stories). Thank you for pointing out some mistakes that I've made and some things I plan on going back and changing now that you have pointed them out. -ROSEY**_

Chapter 12-School Field Trip

The next morning, she felt free. She stared at Shiori over her glass of milk, trying against all odds to 'feel' what Shiori was feeling. The day before, she had been ordered to rest in her room and not to worry about anything. The night's event as had tired her more than she had thought when she first woke up. Now she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing but her own confusion and sense of loss.

"Yes dear?" Shiori asked when she noticed the staring.

"Oh, nothing, just spacing out." Leila lied before returning to her meal. The woman had given her this day off of school as well so that she could deal with her left over emotions from her mother's appearance. Little did Shiori know that it wouldn't be dealt with in quite the human fashion.

Kurama entered the dining room and sat down in his school outfit and Leila thought of something. She couldn't stick around this house another day. She normally went out with Shiori to help with groceries, but otherwise she was mostly stuck here. She couldn't stay in a house when she could be out trying to find her mother. And since Koenma had promised to do that for her, she really had nothing to do.

"Erm, Shiori? Suichi? Is there any way that I might be able to follow Suichi around school for a day?" she asked sheepishly. "I've never been to an actual school, and I don't… I don't want to stay here in case she comes back and you are out Shiori."

The two humans turned to stare at her. Shiori because she had never thought about letting the girl try out a day at school; Kurama because he had just been about to suggest that they let her try the entrance exam for the school. While it was unrealistic that she would be able to get in with her short time of studying human subjects, it would keep her at the school and within his protection. She was effectively defenseless now that she had no empathic powers—or at least it seemed that way to Kurama. But this idea was much better. It gave them a chance to keep an eye on her for the day.

"My school does offer new students a chance to follow another student around to see if they like the school and the curriculum. It's called Shadowing I believe." Kurama pointed out thoughtfully.

"I don't suppose it would hurt. It would definitely keep you safe and be an ease on my mind. I can write a note about your mother and they won't let her near you." Shiori told the girl who smiled in return. "I'll call the school and set it up then." With that she stood and walked into the kitchen.

Kurama was about to comment on how easy that was when Hiei appeared and sat at the table across from the young girl. Kurama instead smiled knowingly and rose, "I have a bit of homework I need to finish before we leave." He told them as he picked up a piece of toast and left the room to go upstairs. It was up to Hiei to explain why it had gone so easily. If he felt it was a good idea.

Leila looked at Hiei with seriousness written over her face. "You didn't have to do that Hiei. If they had disagreed I would have been fine as well. I think my mother did what she wanted to. She won't come back unless I figure out how to get this undone. And then I'll be ready. I won't lose my powers again." She said defensively, not sure she liked being taken care of by a demon. It made her feel more helpless than she actually was.

"You may trust her to do that but I don't." He said simply before rising from his seat and disappearing. Shiori entered mere seconds later with a smile on her lips. She told the young girl that she was being allowed to follow Kurama around and that she could wear anything she wanted.

She pushed herself from the table and walked up to her room and grabbed some clothes. They still had a good hour before they would have to leave and she wanted to take a shower. Entering the bathroom, she closed the door and started the water. As she started to undress, she heard the door open. Assuming that it was Shiori, she stepped out from behind the undressing screen and was about to ask if jeans and a shirt would be okay. Thankfully she was wearing her towel around her, for whom she saw was not Shiori but Kurama.

Kurama stood there, toothbrush in one hand, toothpaste in the other. He had only wanted to come in and grab these before going to the guest bathroom to do his teeth. Their faces turned the same red as his hair and he spun and left the bathroom quickly. Leila stared after him, shock and embarrassment only being broken when she remembered that the bath tub was being overflowed. "Oh dear." She cried and went to turn the water off and let a little bit drain before slipping into the bathroom.

She sunk in the bathtub until it was up to her nose. She thought about the 'encounter' and blushed at the thought. Had it been her imagination or had Kurama looked at her strange? There was no reason for it. Since their last kiss which had been interrupted by Shiori, Kurama had seemed to keep his distance. She frowned at the water and submerged herself for a moment and then finished her bath.

After that, she hid out in front of the door until Kurama came down the stairs. She had decided to wear one of the knee length red skirts she had gotten from Shiori and a white button up shirt. She had seen the girls from his school and they wore something similar to this. She didn't want to stick out too much. In fact she didn't want to stick out at all. It was just for one day. Kurama looked her over and blushed a light pink.

"About earlier—"he started before looking away.

"It was a mistake. Get over it." She said, opening the door quickly and leaving, her gaze not landing on anything in particular as she waited for him to lead the way. She didn't like being pulled around. Either he was interested in her, or he was just toying with her. He'd have to figure that out. Otherwise she was going to be some very unwelcome company.

Kurama, of course being the demon with no telepathic powers, didn't know this and sighed inwardly. What had he done to make her mad? It really had been an accident—walking in on her while she was getting ready for a bath. Thankfully the bath towel had covered anything that might be inappropriate. Still, at the memory he almost flushed the color of his hair again. A thud came from near them, causing both to turn and look at Hiei who was flushed.

Kurama couldn't help it; he started to chuckle as he pulled Leila with him. "He'll be fine. He should learn not to look in other people's minds at random points. It's rude." He said and led the way to his school in a much better moon. Hiei had gotten a full view of the young woman in the towel.

Leila followed, looking back in time to see Hiei glare at them and then disappear. It was soon swept from her mind as she was brought to stand in front of the new school. Her mouth opened in a small 'o' as she stared and then ran to catch up with Kurama. It was larger than she thought it would be really and there were so many human children running back and forth, gathering in groups, talking. So much it scared her a little. She stuck close to Kurama's heels as he led her to the office to get a visitors pass.

She could hear whispering coming after them, but every time she turned around to look for the source it would go silent. She frowned and turned back around, focusing on keeping up with Kurama's long strides.

"So what do you think so far?" Kurama asked as he navigated the halls to the main office.

"It's so… populated. I never would have been able to come here if I had my powers." She said, spinning around to look at all the windows and halls that were crammed with people—students and teachers alike.

Kurama smiled a little and led her into the office and spoke with the secretary there. While he was busy a young, 30-something man came to stand next to her. "So you are Suichi's house guest?" he asked with a smile as he picked up some mail from his teacher box.

"Yes sir." She said politely, watching him warily. She didn't like men in the first place—they were shifty and could cause so much damage in a short amount of time. He seemed unnaturally friendly. She took a step back to stand nearer to Kurama.

"Well I hope that you pass the entrance exams you seem like a bright person." He said before leaving quickly.

"Mister Kyushi. He teaches English here." Kurama explained when she asked about him. He was confused by her wariness. "Come on. We have to get to class before I'm late." He told her and led her down the hallways until he got stopped by some boys begging him to join their chess club.

She took this time to look around the halls with interest. She stepped away from the argument and went to look out the window. Her eyes scanned the blue sky and she almost lost herself in the peacefulness of the moment before Kurama grabbed her by the hand and tugged her after him. They were in his class room a second before the bell rang. Kurama rushed to his seat and she looked around before following meekly.

This caused a stir since the teacher didn't call her to the front of the class for an explanation. Kurama was surprised. While she could look demons and human spirit detectives in the eye on the worst of situations, she couldn't even return the gaze of a student in his classroom. It was a nice surprise. _She's not all that hard after all. She's still human and can get frightened by the simplest of things._ He thought as he watched her pull a chair up next to his desk, her shoulders hunched forward.

He reached over and touched her arm gently; giving her a look that said everything would be okay before paying attention to class again.


	13. Trip Ends and Goodbye's Begin

Chapter 13—Trips ending

The morning went by like a breeze for the young woman. Leila found herself itching to be a real student and take part in the class activities rather than just watch from the back of the classroom. She wanted human contact more than anything now that she couldn't feel their emotions with her magic. However, she refrained and only spoke with Kurama during the five minute breaks between classes.

Kurama found himself laughing as she spoke like a kid in a corner candy store. She seemed so pleased by all the new things that she was learning from the teachers and the way people acted in a classroom. He found himself wondering if this was the first time she ever had been in a situation like this with any species. Her mother had probably kept her stuck up in a room or a house for most of her life, keeping her away from large groups of people to keep her from being stolen.

Then lunch came and Kurama led her off to a lone table on the outskirts of the lunch area. It overlooked the soccer field that was filled with two teams battling for control over the ball. Leila found herself losing herself to it; her eyes' flicking back and forth as the ball went one way and then was stolen and taken by the other way by different feet.

Kurama coughed, snapping her out of her daze. "So you are enjoying yourself?" he asked with a smile before taking a bite of his food.

She nodded her head quickly, trying to think of the words to describe it. "It's…" She said, pausing to take a bite and chew. She was glad that he waited patiently for her to continue. She had noticed that the students here rarely waited for their peers to finish a sentence before starting their own. "It's like discovering a new world. There are so many things that could happen while one is exploring—earthquakes, typhoons, storms—and yet here I am in the middle of it all having the best time of my life."

"I'm glad that you are enjoying it like you are. I must say you are probably one of the few people who enjoy school that I know of." Kurama said before a young woman with two friends neared the table. He wanted to roll his eyes and ask them to leave them alone, but that wouldn't be very polite of him and he didn't want to sullen Shiori's good name with ill-manners.

"Yes? How may I help you?" he asked instead with a smile. He knew what she was going to say before she even said it. He had been told by several of the boys he considered friend that she had been watching him for some time and talking with her friends about asking him out or getting him to ask her out.

Leila turned from smiling at Kurama to see the girls near. Her smile drooped, though she forced a half smile to stay on her lips. She didn't want to seem too anti-social. Of course, she was worried about attracting too much attention. That wasn't something she wanted to happen. That wasn't something she needed to happen.

"Hello Suichi!" the girl's said with large smiles and then the one in front stepped forward a little more.

"I was wondering if you were doing anything after school this afternoon, because I have this extra ticket to a movie that my dad bought for me and wanted to know if you would want to go with me." She said, very confident in herself. After all, who could say no to her?

Leila's cheeks flushed in anger before she could control herself. She turned her head back to her food and willed her hair to cover her face. When she couldn't get the disgust to go away, she rose from her seat and took her food with her and left. She didn't need to be an empath to know that the other two girls had started to whisper and feel scorn for the retreating girl.

Kurama had rose when Leila had, his face filled with confusion. He looked over at the girl who was still waiting for an answer before back after Leila. "I'm sorry, I have to go make sure she's okay. I believe she's just overwhelmed. She's been home school since she was born." He told them before leaving his food on the table and following.

"Leila!" he called, jogging to catch up with her.

She broke out into a run. Leila didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to open that can of worms again. She couldn't feel how he felt. They had shared some kisses, yes, but that was all. Leila felt foolish to think that may—just maybe, they would have meant something else. If she had had her powers she would have known the truth, but at the moment all she wanted to do was get away from him. Demons didn't love human. It was that simple. How she could believe that he could be interested in her.

She didn't hear him start to run after her. All Leila's focus was on getting through the halls of the school and get away from the pursuer. She slipped around a corner and then into the first open door she saw. She slid the door closed just as Kurama rounded the corner.

"May… I help you?" came a soft voice from behind her.

Leila jerked around to spy Mr. Kyushi. She had unintentionally stepped into his classroom, which for the moment was bare of anyone but him and herself. "I was just looking for some place to sit and think." She said as she watched him watch her from the desk in front of the classroom.

"Think about what if I may ask?" he asked, standing and sitting on the edge of the desk so that he could watch her fully, his hand stuffed in his pockets.

"Just think." She replied, tilting her head to one side. There it was again, the strange weariness that she had felt that morning when they'd met in the office. And then something else; like fingers tracing the edges of her subconscious to test her emotions. Her eyes widened in amazement and he smiled at her.

"You're an empath!" she whispered excitedly. Maybe he would be able to help her with her problem. That would be amazing. So soon after she'd lost a part of herself, she'd be able to retrieve that missing part.

"As were you, up until a few days ago. I felt you all the way across campus." Kyushi said, confirming her statement. "Why didn't you know earlier is the question. Have you locked your powers away?"

"No. My mother did. She didn't like that I didn't want to return to the Makai with her." Leila told him. "Can you help me? Can you take this lock away? Can you restore my powers?" The desperation in her voice was almost a tangible thing. She so longed to have her powers back—so that she wouldn't be vulnerable to men that wanted to just use her. Only her hope vanished when he shook his head.

"No. I cannot. Your powers were locked way by an empath far more powerful than I. You'll either have to go back to your mother and have her take it away, or find an empath as strong as her to strip it away." Kyushi said, sadness momentarily back on his face. It was a pity to see such promise being stunted because of an empath who loved demons more than her own kind.

Leila looked down at her shoes and sighed heavily. She had thought that might be the case. But she didn't want to meet her mother ever again. Now she didn't really have a choice unless she had the money to travel the earth looking for a powerful empath—which she didn't. There was always the option to remain blocked. She could start living a human life without the worry of feeling what everyone felt all the time.

"What is it like to spend every waking moment fighting off the emotions of humans?" she asked.

"I don't." he told her. "I grew up here, always knowing what others were feeling. If you give it a chance you get used to it and can block the more negative emotions out without a problem. You become almost used to it."

They spoke the rest of the lunch period about being an empath. She shared stories about living in the Makai and he shared techniques for her to try to unlock the powers herself. Eventually students began to file into the classroom and Leila left in order to find Kurama's classroom. She slipped in ten minutes late, trying not to bring too much attention to herself. She went and took her seat next to Kurama, not looking at him. She still didn't want to know if he'd accepted that girl's invitation or not.

The class sped by and she found herself relaxing into the reading of a Japanese fairy tale. Then came math. She was given the chance to solve a problem on the bored and after some gentle prodding from Kurama, she went up and work the problem out as quickly as she could. While she was not perfect and got several steps wrong, the teacher gently corrected them and helped her through it. When she returned to her seat, she was very excited. That had been one of the most fun parts of the day.

"Leila, will you not speak to me about the thing at lunch?" Kurama finally asked when class was dismissed for the day. He was packing up as she stood there waiting. She'd almost forgotten about the lunch episode, so happy about the math problem that she'd learned to do. When he mentioned it, she frowned.

"What you do with some stupid human female has nothing to do with me Kurama." She told him, looking out the window to feign disinterest.

He sighed heavily and led the way out of the classroom only to be stopped by the same girl that had asked him out earlier. "No, I'm sorry I must make sure that Leila here gets home safely." He told the girl without giving her a chance to ask again before grabbing Leila's hand and pulling her after him. She blinked and looked at him. She had been sure that he would have accepted. Maybe she had been wrong about the situation after all.

Now Leila followed, trying to keep up and not be dragged along by Kurama. She waved goodbye to Kyushi as they passed his room and then focused on trying to keep up with Kurama. They walked quickly until they reached the park that was halfway to their destination. She finally wriggled her hand free from Kurama.

"Kurama, what are you doing? It won't be much of a problem to walk a little bit slower. It's not like she will attack any time soon. She's going to wait until I return to her—" Leila started to say before stopping. She hadn't wanted Kurama to know about that little development. She was getting mighty slip-tongued around him.

Kurama froze in mid-step and looked back at her as if she was crazy. "Is that why you ran off at lunch? Because she contacted you somehow?" he asked, stepping closer to her, a protective aura emanating from him.

"No. I just needed a little space from the lust filled stupid girls you were talking to." Leila said with exasperation. _Men!_

"Then how do you know she won't come back?"

"It doesn't matter. I just know okay? Now, can we just relax on the way home?"

They stared at each other for a few moments before Kurama turned and started on their way home at a much slower pace. He had felt Hiei join them –hidden in a tree somewhere—and he thought he could protect her enough if the woman she called mother would return.

When they finally returned home, not on speaking terms, they were met by Botan who was smiling as usual. Within ten minutes they had been filled in on the events surrounding the Dark Tournament that would be occurring at the end of the school semester which was only a few short weeks away. Leila looked at Kurama and in a sudden fit of prophecy knew that their time together would be much shorter than she had hoped.


	14. The Mistake of Two Lives

Chapter 14—the Mistake of Two Lives

"Just because I'm a human with no special powers doesn't mean that you can treat me like I can't hurt you!" Leila yelled as she ducked under one of Kurama's fists and went in to kick him in the stomach, throwing him back a few steps. They were in his back yard, training for the Dark Tournament like they had ever chance his mother was gone. And now that they had sent her on a weeklong vacation it seemed to be almost every moment they were awake and had the energy to do so.

His school had ended the semester the day before and she had hoped he'd take the day to rest but no. There was little less than two weeks before the Dark Tournament. The moment she was up, he had dragged her out back and started to fight with her. It wasn't that she really minded it all that much. Hey, she got to get a little stronger herself. She'd have to beat her mother before the woman would reverse the magic that kept Leila's powers locked away. It was that he treated her like she was so fragile that he couldn't land a good punch on her without breaking her. She rolled her eyes.

Kurama rolled to his feet to face her again. He wanted to beat her. He really did. How else was he going to get ready for the tournament that could destroy Human World? But how could he mar the beauty in front of him? She got out of the crouch she was in as he rose as well. They faced off again.

Leila went at him again, gasping as her breath started to desert her again. Ever since the day that she had known in her gut that she wouldn't get to spend much more time with Kurama, she had been having difficulty breathing around him. She thought that maybe she was getting sick. What other explanation was there? But if she told Kurama that, she'd never be able to help him with training. She'd get stuck up in her room watching from her window as he fought with Hiei or some other form of training.

He ducked her next attack. He swept to the side and punched at her. It was time for playing to end. Leila smiled as he started to actually fight her with all that he had. Now that he seemed to have woken up to his senses, it was a lot harder to keep out of his reach for the human. He had inhuman speed and was able to knock her over with hits quicker than she could move.

She jumped over a hedge to miss being punched in the back and rolled to her feet. She turned and tried to focus on the assailant. She flew back as Kurama's fist found her stomach. She hit the wall and slumped forward.

"Ow." She groaned as her hands went to clutch her stomach. Leila was about to turn and jump out of the way of the young man's next attack but it never came. Kurama stood in front of her, his eyes gazing at her with an emotion she wasn't familiar with. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she noticed just how close they really were.

He was no more than a hands width away from her. His green eyes locked with hers as she looked up at him. He placed a hand against the wall beside her head. Leila looked over at it and missed the fact he was moving in closer until she looked forward and their lips met once more. When he pulled away, Kurama had a different look on. His look spoke of years ahead of them; where he would protect and love her.

Only she knew that wouldn't come to be. She didn't know how, but she just knew. Leila would be soon gone from this kitsune's side and not return for some time. Whether by her own choice or some other outside circumstances, she didn't know.

But that was in the future. All her attention was on the handsome man in front of her that was leaning over her. Her lips parted to speak but no words left her mouth. That seemed to break the trance-like state they were in and Kurama looked bashfully aside.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that." He told her softly, his cheeks turning a like pink. He hesitantly looked up out of the corner of his eyes to see if she was going to smack him or something else. She stood there under his shadow staring up at him like she had thought he lost his mind.

Only she didn't say anything. There didn't seem to be anything to say that would make him see reason. Leila sighed heavily. She felt like one of those girls in the stupid soap operas that liked a guy but he was too blind to see it. She took his chin in her hand and turned his face to her as he went to stand straight again—to stop from looming over her. Then she rose a little and kissed him. It was an intense kiss that let him know that she was interest in testing out these human emotions that ran through her.

What was she to say? She grew up in Demon world were these intense emotions never ran through her. She'd never thought she'd feel this need for Kurama for anyone. She'd expected to be given to the next demon who was to be her master and then he would lay claim to here. And yet here she was, for all intents and purposes a human without powers and Kurama was kissing her in return with the same ferocity that she felt.

Leila gasped as he pulled away to give them both a chance to get breath. He seemed to have lost his own breath as well. He didn't hold back this time. Hormones of a teenage boy and a teenage girl ran through them, demanding the only logical step…

He pulled away, breathing hard as he looked down at the girl who lay beneath him on the bed. His clear thinking was returning and he was starting to realize just what he had done. He pulled away as she tried to catch her own breath and threw the covers over her. He searched for some pants and pulled them on before sitting down on the edge of the bed to look down at her.

If Leila had been able to feel any emotions, she would have felt despair, dread, worry, love, but mostly worry. But she was too busy trying to come down from the mix of pain and happiness that the act had entailed. She never thought she'd feel this happy about lying with a man. And boy was he a man. Then again, she had to remind herself that she was a demon as well having had hundreds if not thousands of ears to practice.

When she finally opened her eyes she locked them with Kurama's and noticed the concern and fear he had on his face. He was regretting it, she thought with an inward sinking pit in her stomach. She pulled the blankets closer to her body as she sat. She knew there were laws that could hurt Kurama if anyone ever found out about this. He was probably thinking about that as they sat staring at each other.

"Kurama—"

"Leila—"

They both paused looking at each other. Leila was the first to look away. Could it be that he had only been following what most men followed—not his brain for sure? Could it be that all the mumbled, hushed words that had been said between them have been just the heat of the moment?

"Leila, what just happened…" Kurama started, not knowing what she thought about words like that.

Her heart surged with pain. If jumping to conclusions was a class she would have aced it. She clutched the blanket closer to her body, feeling shame and embarrassment.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. I understand. You're a demon. I'm a human. It just isn't culturally acceptable. I'm sorry, but, um, could you hand me my clothes?" She asked, not giving him time to finish the lingering sentence. However, he didn't give her the clothes.

He sat dumbfounded, staring at her. _That_ was what she thought? She thought that he didn't approve because he was a demon and she was a human? He couldn't help it. He started to laugh. She looked at him in bewilderment as he held his stomach and laughed some more.

She started to get even more embarrassed and flustered. She reached over and hitting him in the arm to get him to shut up. "Stop it. I'm serious. My clothes please." She said more like the self he had met when she was hiding out in the apartment waiting for Hiei to be sighted.

Kurama grabbed the hand that had just seconds ago touched his arm and pulled her towards him, effectively baring her skin to his inspection again. He kissed her, hoping this kiss would convey all that he felt.

And the things happened all over again thus sealing their fate…


	15. Mother Dearest

Chapter 15 –Mother Dearest

The next two weeks flew by. When the two weren't out back training in the garden, Leila and Kurama could be found close to each other talking or relaxing in silence. At night after Shiori went to sleep, they would find their way into each other's bedroom to rest or talk or commit the Act again.

Leila had the dread that they would be parting soon, for a long time—not just for the Dark Tournament, which Kurama refused to invite her too. Botan spoke of how neither Kuwabara nor Yusuke were going to tell their female family or girls where they were going either and that out of all the Team Urameshi girl's she was the only one who did know about the upcoming Tournament.

That didn't make her feel any better about being left back to protect the mother of Kurama alone. Not even Kurama would be there to help her because he had been press ganged into joining as well.

When the day came for Kurama left, Leila had steeled herself. She hadn't ever been one to cry at partings, thinking of when the demon returned they would celebrate instead. However, she couldn't help but let one small tear run down the side of her cheek as she watched him disappear down the street.

"Oh come now dear. It isn't as if you'd have wanted to go with three teenage boys into the wilderness. Even if they did need someone to cook for them, Suichi will return soon enough and you won't be alone any more. Come, you have a bit of homework to do and then you can have the summer off from studies." Shiori told her when she caught the sight of the tear. Shiori was under the impression he was going off on a mini-trip with his friends Yusuke and Kuwabara to make sure they didn't kill themselves.

Oh but she had wanted to go with them so much. Especially when she had received the note that morning from a demon that had been careful to meet her in the garden when Kurama was getting his pack finished. She clutched the note in her hand, not needing to read it over again to know what it said. She'd ready read it far more than enough to have its contents memorized.

Leila turned and started up to her room to finish the homework, though it seemed so pointless when the boys were going off to fight who knew how many demons in order to save the world from them. She was about to open the door when the phone rang and Shiori called up that it was Keiko. Leila frowned and called back down that she'd pick the upstairs phone up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me Keiko. How are you?"

"I'm good, yourself?"

"I'm worried. Botan is talking about this Dark Tournament. Do you know about it too?"

Silence on Leila's end. What was Keiko planning?

"Yes, I do. Keiko, it's not something a human girl like you or I should go to. There won't be any humans—" Leila started before getting cut off.

"Yusuke'll be there though! And so will Kuwabara. They are human!" the female voice on the other end demanded.

She had a point there. "Keiko, what does Botan say?"

"Not to worry. But I don't believe her! I just got Yusuke back and now he's gone again." She was obviously in pain over this.

She bit her lip and decided that if she was going to be stolen away from Kurama sometime soon it would have to be at the Dark Tournament. "Get Botan and whoever else will want to go and I'll get us a ride over to the island it's on." She said into the phone. The details were then hashed out quickly and the two girls hung up.

Leila looked around her room which she moved into and sighed. She packed a few changes of clothes, figuring that the Dark Tournament would have some sort of Laundry system. They couldn't expect the competitors to stink each other out of the stadium. Or they could Leila reasoned. She had little under an hour to get all her things ready and into a small pack. And explain to Shiori why she was leaving.

She nibbled her lip and jogged down stairs to find Shiori in the kitchen.

"Shiori? The girls and I decided that if the guys get to go on a trip of their own that we should be allowed to as well. That is okay right? We'll have Kazuma's older sister with us. She'll make sure that nothing happens." She said. After fifteen minutes of arguing logically with the woman, Shiori finally agreed and gave her a tight hug.

Then she gave Leila a small cell phone and smiled. "Call me as soon as you can."

Leila nearly choked with emotions as she watched the older woman she had come to see as a family member since her punishment was put into place. This was something she couldn't stand while being a human. The constant need to explain her emotions to others; to get them out of her into the air so that they wouldn't burden her anymore.

"I will. As much as I can." She told the woman and gave her a hug before rushing out the door before she lost the nerve to go against Kurama's orders to keep his mother safe. When he found out what was going on, Kurama would be furious that she was letting Shiori be unprotected.

She ran down the street in the direction she was going to meet the girls before slowing to a jog and then a walk and then stopping all together. She took out the phone and the note she had gotten. She looked at the note once more and then began to walk the opposite direction, pulling out the phone and calling Botan.

She put a sick, strained note to her voice as Botan picked up. "I won't be able to—" cough, "Make it. I got really sick from breakfast." Gulp. "I'll come to the Dark Tournament later when I'm feeling better." She panted a bit to sound as if she had just thrown up and was trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, yes, you stay where you are. Don't you dare think of moving an inch until you are better!" Botan said through the phone after relaying to her friends that she wouldn't be joining them.

"Go to… A demon named Garthe. Tell him that Serena sends her love and that if he doesn't give you safe passage… To the island… That she'll roast his toes and boil him alive." She gasped out as she started to jog lightly towards the forest.

After that all that was needed were words of acknowledgment. By the time that the phone call was done, she had run halfway to the clearing. She came to a stop and put the phone in a pocket of hers and pulled out the note to read it one last time.

_Daughter,_

_I know what you did with that demon boy you are living with. A psychic friend of mine even told me what you carry in the belly though you don't know it yet. Is it truly wise for you to stay with him? Will he accept a pregnant human who can't do anything to defend herself? Who couldn't even protect Shiori from a demon I've had watching her for a week now because she was too busy loving the boydemon? Return to me where your brother put the spider on you. I will lift the lock on your power and help you raise your children. Stay away, and Shiori will be murdered right before you. _

_Love,_

_Serena, your mother_

Leila's cheeks turned a bright red at the word 'pregnant'. Her sapphire blue eyes watered a little. She wouldn't put Shiori at risk. She couldn't. When she'd gotten the note, she'd pushed what little senses she had left and had noticed a small demon, one that while weak would still be able to overpower her and Shiori.

She let a gentle wind take the note, knowing it would deposit it somewhere that no one would find it before turning back the way she was going and finished the trek there. When Leila entered the clearing, she saw a sight she'd never wanted to see again. While she had grown used to wearing jeans and t-shirts, she saw that her mother was waiting for her with a kimono that she expected Leila to wear when they returned to demon world.

Leila looked around at the clearing where three demons stood to make sure nothing happened to either of the mistresses. And then she bowed her head in submission, letting her brown curly hair fall to cover her face.

**Kurama's Fight against Roto in Dark Tournament preliminary fight**

Roto feel as Kurama walked away, the Death plant sprouting forth from the demon's lifeless body. He was frowning deeply however. How come Leila hadn't taken care of the demon following his mother before now? That demon hadn't been bluffing. Then he saw Botan and walked over to her and Yusuke.

"Botan. You said that Leila was sick?" He asked, frowning.

"Yes. She called on your mother's cell phone. I thought it strange but I figured your mother had simply left her with it in case she needed it." Botan said, looking up at Kurama out of confusion.

"It was a lie." Hiei's soft voice said as he too joined them around Yusuke. "My empath is no longer in Human world. I can't see her anywhere." He didn't have to elaborate the 'seeing' part of his statement for his Jigan eye was glowing under the white piece of material he used to cover it.

Kurama twitched. He wanted to go and find her, but knew that he couldn' shook his head and turned to look away, ready for the next fight.

Kurama would simply have to find her after the Dark Tournament. If they didn't win it wouldn't matter because all humans would be killed or worse.


	16. Years Make Changes

**NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Well poppet, this is the last chapter for Courage to Feel. It is most definitely the longest I've ever written and I'm quiet proud of it. Instead of stretching this out over four different chapters, though I easily could, I thought I would make it a little special one chapter deal. So you get a ... somewhat longer chapter than normal. Besides that, I want to thank you all for helping me get through writing this with all your GREAT commentary and reviews. This has so far been my most popular fanfiction and while I'm sad to see it end, I know that it has been an entertaining ride for all of us. :) Please remember that I have other stories for you to read if you just check my profile. I will be finishing up Bats are Blind next which is proving to be as fun as this one has been. I love you all and appreciate the loveI've recieved in the form of reviews. Thank you so Much~ ROSEY**

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><p>Chapter 16– Years Make Changes<p>

It had been eight long and hard years. First there had been the Sensui incident that had kept Kurama from finding Leila. How would he ever find her if the world was ended and Demons had free reign over all the worlds? Then he'd been training for the first Makai Tournament. That had been important as well.

By the end of that, it had been four long years. He figured that even if he found Leila, they would never be able to hit it off like they had before. How would he be able to explain the four years of other things getting in his way of finding and saving her? He was only reassured by Hiei who said that when he looked in on her she wasn't being hurt.

Kurama now found himself standing in the stadium that had been erected for the second Makai Tournament to see who would be the next king or queen of Demon world for the next four years. He stood with Yusuke and Hiei once more, waiting to be told who he was fighting. His hair, which he had kept long, was pulled back into a braid that was intertwined with the seeds that would allow him to win his fights. He turned as a disturbance wrecked the crowd. It was so tense that the explosion of sound coming from two children shocked everyone.

A young girl with short brown hair and eyes of sapphires ran through the crowded demons, laughing as a boy followed her. "You can't catch me Aidan!" she called to the boy. The boy had small white ears and a white tail. His short white hair was spiked to keep it out of his green eyes.

"Come back here Nadia!" the boy called gleefully after her. "Watch out!" He skidded to a stop as the girl kept running, dodging one demon's feet before running smack dab into Kurama, who was curiously watching them. The girl would have fallen back if he hadn't reached down and grabbed her shoulder to keep it from happening.

When she looked up at the twenty four year old man, Kurama found himself staring at a young version of Leila. His heart stopped and he was afraid to blink. What if when he did blink, this vision would disappear and allow him to feel sad over his lose again? He couldn't let that happen.

"I'm sorry mister!" the girl said with a giggle before blinking. "Are you okay mister? You look like you've seen a ghost and I must say your emotions are very confusing!" The boy came to stand next to her, protectively hovering there, watching the man as if he didn't trust him at all.

"Oh, there you are you two!" came a voice that was music to Kurama's ears. He looked up from the girl-child and his eyes fell on what he would have called an angel.

Leila came running through the gap that her children had created through the demons, apologizing as she went by. She was so focused on finding her children that she only noticed who it was that had stopped their tirade through the stadium's corridors when she looked up after making sure they were okay. Sapphire eyes widened as they met emerald green ones. The children, Yusuke, and Hiei were looking between the two adults as if watching some kind of old Western shootout.

Slowly, the young woman rose to stand, her hands pulling her children closer to her body, protectively. She had changed as well. In eight years she had grown to be almost the same height as Kurama. Her hair had grown out and was currently braided over one shoulder where it rested. A black trench coat was over a black shirt that fit her body and a pair of blue jeans. Across her back, a sword was strapped. She had picked it up when her mother and she had been attacked during her pregnancy.

The silence stretched as the two stared at each other some more. That is until Nadia couldn't stand the silence any more.

"Mama, why are you two staring at each other like that?"

This statement broke each of them out of the staring contest that they had had going. Leila swallowed and turned her attention on Nadia and Aidan. "Nadia, dear, I've told you. Demons will want to steal you away from me if you keep running around like you have. You are very precious to me. Please stop. Aidan, love, thank you for staying with your sister," she told the two children before looking over at Kurama, wondering if he would put it together or not.

"L-Leila?" he asked after she was done, reaching out before another hand entered both of their visions and grasped it tightly. Lady Serena stood there, seemingly by magic, dressed in a beautiful black kimono with pink blossoms on it.

"So," she whispered, pursing her lips, "You have found the little darlings daughter." She looked back at her daughter with a tilt of her head before looking down at her grandchildren.

"Yes mother. Do you think you could take them back to our seats?" Leila said, her eyes flickering back to Kurama before smiling at her mother. "I'll need to find my group soon and I don't want these two trouble makers getting demon's attention any more than they already have."

After receiving hugs from both of the children and wishes of luck, Serena, with a disgusted look at Kurama, took the children away, and left the two adults standing there awkwardly. Kurama was surprised to find that both Hiei and Yusuke had disappeared to somewhere. Leila nibbled her bottom lip and reached out her powers very carefully. Her mother had indeed returned her powers after she was sure that Leila wasn't going to run off again.

Panic was the first emotion she tasted off Kurama. She frowned at that. What did he have to panic about? She'd been the one who left. Was he afraid that she would be angry? And then surprise—good surprise—entered her system off him. She was happy about that one. She jerked her magic back and turned as he was about to say something. She had also felt that demons were looking at them, waiting for something to happen. When Kurama started to protest, she looked back and motioned to an empty open sided hallway and then continued on her way.

Kurama needed no encouragement. It was like seeing an angel descending back to his plane of existence and wanting to speak with him despite him being a sinner. He strolled along with her to the hallway.

When they were alone, Leila turned to look at him. For almost two minutes all they did was stare at each other, taking in their appearance. Leila was at a loss of what to say. Instead she turned and went to the open windows that allowed a cool breeze to fill the walkway. She heaved herself up so that she sat on the sill, looking out over the fifty foot drop to the ground below her.

When she'd first left she had thought several times of just dying and going to Lord Koenma and asking for a recycle. She'd be given a new mother and father that might actually care about her. And then she had gotten the morning sickness that had told her that her mother had been right about the children forming in her. From that moment on, all she cared about was getting the things that would remind her so much of the man she had left out so she could care for them and make them like him—kind, loving, a demon with a heart.

"Who were those children?" he finally asked after watching her there as the wind played with a few strands of loose hair. "Have you…?"

He wanted to know if she had slept with a demon besides him since their separation of eight years, she realized with a quick run over his feelings. He was worried about her life being in danger. Kurama didn't want it to be true but was willing to accept it. That hurt her a little but she refused to let it show. It had, as she reminded herself, been eight years. For all she knew he had found someone else as well.

"That was Nadia and Aidan. They are almost eight years old." She said, looking at him with a small, happy smile. She saw the spark of intelligence that he had always had flare in his eyes and knew he had connected the lines quickly. "Aren't they lovely? He has your eyes Aidan does. And I'm going to assume that the ears and tail is from you as well, well your demon half at least."

"They are… mine?" he asked, stunned. He had been young and reckless he supposed. They had never used protection because they had simply been children at the time. Now he was able to see what had been the effect of the fun.

"Yes. I'm not married to anyone else nor have I slept with anyone. Nadia is an empath like me. For whatever reasons the gods have chosen, the boy is following your footsteps. He's already been able to produce a whip out of a seed if he tries hard enough." Leila said with happiness.

When he had found out about that ability, the day had become one of the funniest days of her existence. He had gone around and whipped his grandmother like a cow for several hours before Leila returned from a job and put a stop to it. Serena had never been allowed to hurt him. That was something that Leila had drilled into her mother. Leila was no longer the weak willed young girl Serena had sent out to find her demon master. It was almost a reverse situation now with Leila being the 'head' of the family while her mother took care of the children.

There was silence as Kurama digested the information that he was a father and the young woman took the time to watch him and taste his emotions again. There it was again, panic. And then a sudden burst of pride that slackened into regret.

"Kurama," Leila whispered, dropping down from the sill and walking forward. Eight years had gone a long way to tell her that she had done the right thing in leaving Kurama. But it hadn't eradicated the fact that they had had love.

"Wait, let me first," Kurama whispered, raising a hand to touch her lips, keeping her from speaking. "Dear Leila, had I known you were pregnant, I would have searched. I would have."

Leila laughed softly, as if this had been one of the stupidest things she had ever heard. "Kurama, I didn't want you to find me." She said, shaking her head as if she were speaking to a silly, mad person.

"You didn't?" Kurama asked; hurt filling him which she felt.

"Kurama, don't understand. I did—I still do I think—love you. But it wasn't practical." Leila said, pulling her head away from the fingers that were still touching her lips. Her skin tingled where her lips had touched Kurama's fingers. "I was a girl you'd taken in out of the goodness of Shiori's and your hearts. Shiori couldn't have taken care of two more children; especially one that has ears and tail. We were both under the human legal age of eighteen. They would have taken you away for some kind of law breaking had anyone found out."

Leila almost continued before a small group of demons neared, calling her name. She turned and looked at them and frowned. How had she not felt them near? She sighed and closed her eyes before turning back to Kurama. "Listen, I have to go speak with my friends over there. Let's hope that we don't run into each other during the tournament." She said with a smile that conveyed that she really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

With that said she turned and started towards her demon 'friends' before stopping. She looked back at him over her shoulder. He looked so stunned and alone in that moment that she couldn't resist. She turned from her route and ran back to his side. She didn't hesitate or hold back. She had learned the mistake of doing that long ago.

Leila learned up and placed a deep and love filled kiss on the red heads lips, her hands clutching in his shirt front before she pulled back. Her sapphire eyes locked with his as she heard gasps and cheers from the demons behind her. Her cheeks turned a light red as she turned and rushed off before either of them could say anything or ruin the moment.

**After the Preliminaries**

Kurama was still feeling slightly shocked from the kiss he had gotten from the young mother. He hadn't let it affect his fighting, though it definitely made him keen on winning at least this stage to impress her. He thanks every power out there that he hadn't met her in the preliminaries. He had found his way to a small table in a cafeteria of sorts that he hoped Leila would go to after the fights were over. They would announce the fights over loud speaker when it was time for them to fight.

Hiei appeared before him and sat down. "Didn't I tell you that she was okay?" Hiei asked as Mukuro appeared a moment later. Since the First Makai Tournament, the two had been nearly inseparable.

"You could have told me that she was having my children!" Kurama said glumly.

"It wouldn't have changed what had been going on at the moment. You needed to focus on fighting Sensui and then fighting in the Makai tournament." Hiei pointed out calmly. "You wouldn't be here to see the little brats now if I had told you that she was pregnant. You would have lost your cool wondering how you could help her out. You forget Kurama, I know you."

Before Kurama could reply a pair of white ears popped up over the edge of the table and then a pair of green eyes. Aidan, Kurama reminded himself. The green eyes were wide with wonder as he stared up at the three demons and then focused in on Kurama. "Is it true that you are a friend of mothers?" He asked. He seemed scared, or worried, or both.

Kurama sat up at once and gave the child his full attention. "Yes. I am Kurama. This is Hiei and Mukuro. Hiei knew your mother as well. How can I help you Aidan?" he asked in the calmest voice he could muster. He hadn't gone to look at the score boards after the preliminaries. What if the young woman had been hurt in her fight?

"Mama keeps saying your name in her sleep. She won't wake up no matter what the healer demons do. I even tried some seeds that I've been working with, but she won't wake up to that either," he told Kurama. It was obvious to the man that the child was working very hard to keep the tears he wanted to cry hidden away. Who would blame the child? At a young age, anyone who lived in demon world would know to hide their true emotions or they could be used against them.

Kurama was out of his seat the moment he said that she wouldn't wake up. "Lead the way young Aidan. I'll see if I can do anything. I work with seeds and plants as well. Maybe if your mother says it's okay I can teach you a few things in the future," he said as he held out a hand for the child to take. He should have gone and checked to make sure she made it through her matches before going to get food. He berated himself as the child dragged him towards the infirmary.

_There is a great many things that I should have done over the years. The only thing I can do now is make up for it however I can, _he finally told himself as he slipped past a few doctors to enter a room that had demons clustered around the doorway.

"What do you think you are doing here?" came a sharp voice from near the bed where Leila lay, twitching in her comatose sleep.

Kurama's green eyes landed on her mother and he growled. Aidan looked worriedly up at Kurama and tugged away to go join his twin on the bed at Leila feet. "I came to see if I can wake Leila from the coma." He finally said after biting back his anger at the woman that sat as if she had the right to stand next to the daughter she had allowed to be tortured for so many years by a demon of pain and fear.

"I want you out of here—"Serena started to say.

"I do not care one flipping death plant what you want lady." Kurama said, cutting her off. "You took her from me before and have hurt her more than anyone else in the world. If anything you should be the one that leaves."

Serena gasped and was about to argue when she tempted fate and touched his emotions. Anger more poisonous than pure nicotine which could kill a person slammed into her defenses before she could throw her shield up. She stumbled back away from the bed. A pain filled cry rang from her lips and a whimper came from Leila whose shields were down as well.

"Stop! You two are hurting mommy! And you are hurting my head." Nadia cried, curling up on the bed next to Leila's leg.

This brought Kurama back to his senses and he sighed. "I'm sorry Nadia. I should have been more considerate." He told the girl with a small smile before turning his full attention back on the young woman who was the mother of his children. He touched her forehead, checked her pulse and then started to pull a few seeds out of his braid, loosen it up so that it formed the normal bushy ponytail that Leila had so often seen as a teenager.

Aidan watched him carefully, as if he were taking mental notes on how to do certain things having to do with his abilities. Kurama didn't mind and had been telling the truth about teaching the young fox demon. But he didn't have time to be slow for the kid at the moment.

He worked for several hours before he was able to make something that got her pulse to quicken and her mind waves to start waking up. He was exhausted and knew that the serum would take an hour or so to work its magic. He sat down in the chair that Serena had left open and fell asleep the moment his head fell back.

_She was standing there, looking down at him as he looked up at her from the bed. She was beautiful in a purple and gold kimono. She started to undress and stepped forward. _

"_Kurama, wake up. Mommy's waking up!" She said_…

Kurama blinked opened his eyes to find himself staring up at the ceiling. A hand was shaking his shoulder. He looked over at a young Nadia before he pushed himself up to look at the bed in front of him. He must have slept longer than it had felt, for there was Leila sitting up with the help of Aidan.

Kurama jerked from the chair and rushed to her side, sitting on the bed next to her to support her on the side that was free. She winced as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Leila still didn't see who it was that was helping her. She just wanted to kick whatever demon had hurt her. "I'm sorry kiddos," she said when she saw Nadia and Aidan. "I guess I don't get to be queen this year."

"I can't believe you are making a joke like that at this moment in time." Kurama said, choking her out of the post battle damage assessment she was giving herself.

"Kurama helped bring you back out of your coma!" Nadia said as she bounced upon to the bed. "You should have seen him and Grandmother Serena go at it over it. He was all like grrrr—"

"Yeah!" Aidan said enthusiastically, joining his sister, "And grandmother was all 'aaaaaaaaah'." He mimicked the scream that she had produced when she had felt the blind rage that Kurama had been holding onto. While the two recounted the life saving things that Kurama did like he was their new hero, he proceeded to check her pulse and her forehead for fever before setting up the pillows behind her so that she could relax back without help.

Kurama then rose and smiled down at her. "How are you feeling, seriously, Leila?"

"I feel like I got punched in the stomach several times before having someone hit me in the back of the head. How else am I supposed to feel Kurama?" She asked sarcastically before laughing softly. "You didn't have to do all that they say you did. You could have missed your next fight."

Kurama looked at his watch and couldn't help but smile. "You always were good at telling the future." He said and shrugged. "I missed it. It started a few hours ago. I was more worried about you and your condition."

Leila gaped up at him. He had missed his fight for her? She let the shields that had gone up when she gained consciousness drop back down and reached out. No more panic. She was grateful for that. No more pain or despair. Only love when his gaze came back and locked with hers.

She was about to say something when a female demon came running in and almost tackled the girl off the bed.

"Oh, Leila, I heard you were wounded and wouldn't wake! Serena said they had some non-expert working on you and was most likely going to kill you!" the girl demon said, giving Leila a hug so tight that it almost cut off the air to Leila's lungs.

Kurama took this cue as it was time to leave. Quietly he slipped from the room and started away. He was about a hundred paces away when Leila came stumbling out of her room.

"Kurama wait!" she called. Kurama turned to look at her. Leila stumbled towards him, still recovering from the lack of movement. She used the wall to support her until she was closer to Kurama. Leila's sapphire eyes locked with his and for moment it hit him just what he had given up when he hadn't gone to look for her.

"What is it Leila?" he whispered, stepping forward to catch her as she took a weak step forward. She looked up at him then.

"I think I understand." Leila whispered.

"Understand what?" Kurama asked, blinking.

"Remember the day up on the hospital roof? The day you used the Forlorn hope? You told me that if I opened myself that I'd understand why a human was so important to you." She said, remembering the time well. Kurama nodded, still not understanding where this was going.

"I understand why you said that. I understand why you looked down on me when you first met me. I understand what it means to be human and I think," she paused looking down and choosing her words very carefully for this last part. "I believe that I have the courage to feel the emotions of a human. I believe that you have given me that despite the years separated between us."

Despite all their love making the next three words had never been said.

"Kurama, I do believe that I love you." Leila finally said after grasping for the words for a moment. The words made her lips tingle as they hadn't since she had spent the night in Kurama's arms all those years ago.

It took a few moments for all this to be understood by Kurama. But when it was, he seemed to lose all control. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, his lips seeking out hers. She had no idea how those words had uplifted his heart at hearing them.

When he pulled away, his green eyes sparkled.

"I do believe that I love you as well Leila." Kurama said in a husky voice.

They were about to return to kissing when a small, girl voice interrupted them. "So does this mean we get a daddy now?" Nadia asked from the doorway. The female demon who had hugged Leila, Nadia, and Aidan waited, watching them as if they were watching a romance movie. Aidan was looking disgusted at the kissing, though there was hope in his eyes that he would get to grow up with Kurama. Nadia and the demon were watching and waiting for something magical to happen.

Leila turned to look at her daughter with bright cheeks before looking up at Kurama. "What do you say Kurama? Nadia wants to know if she gets a father." she asked.

Kurama seemed to think for a few moments, stretching the moment out a bit. "I think that she will, if you'll have me Leila." he finally said. Leila grinned up at him and answered him by kissing him once more. This was a long, dedicated kiss that he returned.

Oblivious to them, Aidan, Nadia and the demon were cheering as more demons came to see what was going on. Leila pulled away and looked up at him and gave a smile that matched his. She knew that she had made the right choice; Kurama would be wonderful no matter what.


End file.
